Q: The Third ASEM Foreign
Ministers Meeting will be held in Beijing in late May.
Whats Chinas expectation of this
meeting?
A: The Third ASEM
Foreign Ministers Meeting will be held in Beijing from
May 24 to 25. Foreign Ministers from 25 ASEM member states
and members of the EU Commission will gather in Beijing on
that occasion. This is a major event in Asia-Europe
cooperation process at the beginning of the new century and
it is also an important diplomatic activity held by China
this year. The Chinese Government attaches great importance
to the Meeting and the Chinese leaders will attend the
relative activities of the Meeting. We hope that the Meeting
will enable exchanges of views on international
and regional issues of interest to both Asia and Europe
focusing on the theme of strengthening Asia-Europe
Partnership in the new century, study the ways of
implementing the cooperative initiatives approved by the
Third ASEM Meeting in the fields of economy and trade,
science and technology, environment and education, etc, and
make necessary preparations for the Fourth ASEM Meeting to
be held in Denmark next year. At present, preparation for
the Meeting has basically been completed. We stand ready to
cooperate closely and enhance consultations with the ASEM
members in order to make the Meeting a complete success.
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