ASEM 5: a summit of vision

“This is the first ASEM Summit to adopt a document on the economic pillar,” said Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, chairman of the Hanoi Summit, referring to the Hanoi Declaration on Closer Asia-Europe Economic Partnership. The declaration, unanimously adopted by leaders of 38 ASEM countries including the 13 freshly admitted members and the European Commission, sets out directions and measures for strengthening ASEM economic cooperation.
“This attests to the common desire of member countries to further substantiate the partnership between the two continents. This will benefit member countries and well-being of the people,” he said.
Despite the diversity in historical backgrounds, levels of development, socio-political systems, interests and priorities, the admission of the 13 new members and members’ pledges for continued cooperation will undoubtedly bolster ASEM’s importance in the international socio-economic arena. ASEM will now embrace 2.3 billion people, representing 40 per cent of the world’s population and half of its global production.
However, an enlarged ASEM and strong cooperation between the two continents will not only benefit Asians and Europeans.
“It contributes to the building of a safe, just global order and a stronger world economy,” said Denmark’s acting Prime Minister Per Stig Moller.
The Hanoi Summit also saw the endorsement of nine initiatives in the fields of economy, investment, trade, science and technology, information technology, culture and social affairs, public health, education and training.
“The successful implementation of these initiatives is likely to further revitalise and substantiate the ASEM process and produce specific results in dealing with imperative issues of the day,” Khai said.
ASEM leaders welcomed the initiatives for economic integration based on non-discriminatory regionalism and underlined the need to ensure all regional and bilateral economic integration agreements should be consistent with WTO rules.
Agreeing to promote and strengthen interaction between governments and the business community for a closer Asia-Europe economic partnership, leaders welcomed positive recommendations made by the 9th Asia-Europe Business Forum and tasked economic and financial ministers to study the recommendations’ applicability. Ministers have also been directed to review recommendations on the development of an Asian bond market and the ASEM promotion centre for trade, investment and tourism.
Expressing concern over high oil prices that could slow the regions’ economic growth, leaders agreed to call on oil producers to provide adequate supplies to ensure moderate prices. However, the in-depth discussions carried out during the ASEM 5 “in the spirit of friendship, mutual understanding and respect”, as chairman Khai put it, did not stop at envisaging economic cooperation measures.
Political dialogue, a pillar of the ASEM, was also high on the agenda with participants agreeing to join efforts to turn ASEM into an important force in securing peace, security and sustainable development in the world.
“The situation in the world and each of our continents is changing rapidly and dramatically. Peace, stability and development remain the major trend and burning aspirations of all nations the world over,” said Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong.
“However, new global challenges are emerging. Those are widespread instability and conflicts and blooming international terror. Traditional and non-traditional threats and negative impacts of globalisation are also creating many complicated and seemingly insoluble problems,” he said.
ASEM leaders agreed that these serious challenges should be addressed through a multilateral approach and collective actions through intensive dialogue and close cooperation on the basis of mutual understanding, equality and mutual benefit. They reaffirmed their strong commitment to multilateralism and to a fair, just and rule-based international order, with the United Nations playing the central role.
“With a view to strengthening effective multilateralism, we should further deepen our discussion on the reform of the United Nations and express our strong will to jointly tackle such threats as terrorism and the issue of non-proliferation,” said Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
The leaders acknowledged that dialogue and cooperation among cultures and civilisations is an effective measure to enhance understanding and tolerance among people, underlining its importance in preserving world peace, security and cooperation for development, particularly in the context of globalisation.
The adoption of the ASEM Declaration on Dialogues among Cultures and Civilisations in this regard “presents a strong message from the Hanoi Summit on promoting more exchanges and greater cooperation in this essential area in the spirit of ‘unity in diversity’”, said Khai.