China Calls on Asian Countries to Increase Trust and Coordination

China Tuesday called on Asian countries to increase trust and coordination in the post-financial- crisis era as part of efforts to work together for a secure and stable Asia.

The statement was made by Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo at the 3rd Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), which was held in Istanbul.

To create a good regional environment, he said, it is important to make full use of the CICA and other regional mechanisms of multilateral exchanges and cooperation.

"This serves the interests and meets the common needs of all countries," said Dai, who came for the meeting as the special representative of Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Addressing heads of state and senior officials from about 40 countries, Dai noted that international competition and cooperation will take place at higher levels and in broader areas.

Asia, as part of the global village, faces unprecedented development opportunities and multiple options of regional cooperation, he said.

At the same time, he said, it is also plagued by quite a number of hot-spot issues and security threats. Maintaining peace and stability, promoting economic development and improving people's well-being remain a long-standing and arduous task.

Therefore, he said, "We should stay committed to the new security concept of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and coordination, which requires us to not only value our respective national security, but also accommodate the legitimate security concerns of other countries and respect each other's core interests."

"We should commit ourselves to peaceful approaches to disputes and differences and joint response to all kinds of threats and challenges, including terrorism, separatism, extremism, drug trafficking and organized transnational crimes, so as to maintain long-term security and stability in the region," he said.

The Chinese senior official also urged CICA member countries to work together for a developed and prosperous Asia, saying " Development is a fundamental issue that is essential to the welfare and security of the people in all Asian countries."

Right now, he said, most countries in Asia are developing countries and two thirds of the world's poor are found in Asia. " It is therefore important that all Asian countries should adhere to the policy of mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, strengthen coordination of macro economic policies and actively explore their unique advantages and potential."

Dai said that Asian countries should work together for harmony and progress in Asia. "We should treat each other with sincerity, good-will and an open and inclusive mind, and we should allow different countries, nations, faiths and civilizations to live in harmony and move forward together through mutual learning."

(Xinhua News Agency June 9, 2010)