Top legislator: China "a strong advocator" of Asia-Europe cooperation

Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), delivers a speech at the opening of the Fifth Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (ASEP V) held in Beijing, capital of China, on June 19, 2008.

BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhua) -- China is "a strong advocator and active participant" in the Asia-Europe cooperation, said Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday.

"Both Asia and Europe are now at a crucial stage for development and deepening a new type of partnership that conforms to the common interests of the two sides," said Wu while meeting with heads of the delegations attending the fifth Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (ASEP).

He said China would like to further friendly relations with all nations in Asia and Europe based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence.

He welcome the new members of ASEP including Romania, Bulgaria, India, Pakistan and Mongolia, and pledged to work with all ASEP members to strengthen dialogues and exchanges on the international and regional issues to facilitate the Asia-Europe meeting process.

Wu also met with parliamentary leaders from Indonesia and Finland on Thursday afternoon.

During a meeting with Agung Laksono, Indonesia House of Representatives speaker, Wu said China valued relations with Indonesia and would enhance the strategic partnership. He hoped the NPC and the Indonesian parliament would maintain high-level contact, strengthen exchanges between the special committees, friendly working groups and other organs.

Agung said the Indonesian parliament hoped to improve exchanges with the NPC on country administration, democracy and rule of law.

During a meeting with Seppo Kaariainen, first deputy speaker of the Finnish parliament, Wu said the relations between China and Finland had entered a new stage as the cooperation on telecommunication, energy saving, environmental protection and nano-technology furthered. He hoped the legislative organs of the two countries would maintain cooperation to enhance the relations between the two countries.

Kaariainen said developing the relations with China had been the consensus of the political circles of Finland. He believed the quake-hit Sichuan province would recover from the disaster at an early date.

The ASEP meeting started Thursday morning and will conclude on Friday. More than 100 paliamentarians from Asia and Europe participated in the meeting.

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