President Hu calls for harmonious Asia (Xinhua) Updated: 2006-06-17 08:49
Chinese President Hu Jintao (front C) arrives
at Almaty International Airport, with the presence of Kazakh Foreign
Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev (front L) and Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister
Karim Masimov (front R) in Almaty, capital of Kazakhstan, on June 16,
2006. [Xinhua]
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President Hu Jintao called for the building of a harmonious Asia of enduring
peace and common prosperity, at the second summit of the Conference on
Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) being held on
Saturday in Almaty.
"Asia is a continent of great diversity. ... Solidarity and coordination of
the Asian countries and peoples are crucial for the success of Asia," Hu said at
the one-day summit.
The Chinese president urged Asian countries to increase mutual trust and
coordination to build a new type of security architecture.
"We should respect every country's right to safeguard national unity, pursue
its development strategy and formulate domestic and foreign policies
independently," he said.
As Asian countries are diversified in culture and civilization, Hu called on
different nations to "respect the diversity of human civilizations and encourage
their mutual exchanges and mutual enrichment."
While calling for strengthened cooperation within regional organizations such
as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, ASEAN and CICA, President Hu also
urged Asian nations to uphold multilateralism and strengthen cooperation
internationally to create favorable conditions for the development of Asia as a
whole.
Hu also stressed that the CICA Forum has become a platform where different
civilizations carry out dialogues and different countries seek mutual
understanding.
On the economic front, Hu suggested that Asian nations bring into full play
their economic synergy and actively enhance cooperation in areas such as energy,
transportation, finance, agriculture, telecommunications and public health.
"Asia is crucial for China's development" the president said, adding that
China "pursues a foreign policy of fostering a harmonious, secure and prosperous
neighborly environment."
CICA, a forum aimed at increasing security in Asia, was initiated by Kazakh
President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who called for its creation at the 47th UN
General Assembly in 1992.
The CICA now comprises 17 members and has nine countries as observers. Its
first summit was held in Almaty in June 2002.
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