Peace, progress and cooperation have become the general course
of development in the Asia-Pacific region, says Premier Wen
Jiabao.
With more opportunities than challenges, the situation in the
area is stable, Wen said on Friday when meeting with defense
leaders at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Security Policy
Conference (ASPC) in Beijing.
"Progress needs peace and cooperation requires dialogue," said
Wen. "Dialogue should be based on mutual respect, seeking common
points while reserving differences and debate."
China, which is committed to economic development, is an
important force to maintain stability and peace of the world, Wen
said.
For that purpose, China will work to maintain a peaceful and
stable international environment as well the good neighborly
surroundings in this region, Wen said.
Despite its fast development, China does not, and will never,
seek hegemonism, he said.
Wen expressed his hope that the member states of the ARF and
parties attending the ASPC will work more closely together,
especially in security, and push forward regional peace and
stability through dialogue and exchanges.
Representatives exchanged experiences in facing non-traditional
security issues, which include the fight against terrorism,
trans-national crime, weapons smuggling, drug trafficking, illegal
immigration and money laundering, Major General Sudrajat, chairman
of the ASPC and head of Indonesian delegation, told the press after
the conference.
States attending the ASPC agreed on the use of military force to
counter non-traditional security issues, he noted.
Besides, the members have agreed to promote co-operation on
intelligence, capacity building and sharing of experiences, he
said.
He said that the ASPC would be held annually in the future.
Defense and security officials from ARF's 24 members attended
the event, which will end on Tuesday.
ARF is composed of ASEAN members, ASEAN dialogue partners, Papua
New Guinea, Mongolia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and
Pakistan.
The security policy session was proposed by China at the 10th
ARF foreign ministers' meeting in 2003 and approved by the 11th ARF
foreign ministers' meeting in 2004.
The three-day meeting, hosted by China and chaired by Indonesia,
ASEAN's current chair, was the highest level of its kind ever held
within the framework of ARF.
(China Daily November 6, 2004)