| Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, November 15, 2001 |
Delegates, Scholars Discuss Asia-Pacific Cooperation and Urban Development |
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Scholars and delegates from both home and abroad attending the ongoing Asia-Pacific Cooperation Forum have been busy sharing ideas on the development opportunities of the Asia-Pacific region, and seeking ways to help the region's cities grow and restructure their industrial power.
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Scholars and delegates from both home and abroad attending the ongoing Asia-Pacific Cooperation Forum have been busy sharing ideas on the development opportunities of the Asia-Pacific region, and seeking ways to help the region's cities grow and restructure their industrial power.
As a part of the Asia-Pacific Cooperation Forum and the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA) Asia-Pacific Section (ASPAC) Meetings, the forum was attended by some 180 people, including delegates from local governments of China and other IULA ASPAC members, and scholars from Britain, the United States and other countries.
Speaking on the "Era of the Asia-Pacific Region", Chen Haosu, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and also vice-chairman of this forum, predicted that this region will bring the world lasting peace and sustainable development through common progress of its nations.
Eijiro Noda, vice-president of the Japan-China Friendship center, said growing economic interaction is the surest guarantee for peace and stability in Asia and the Pacific, and called for countries in this region to further their effort in strengthening regional economic and technological cooperation.
He also pointed out that Japan should hold "a correct understanding of its own history with its neighboring nations," so as to further promote the trend toward stability and peace.
Keith J. Solomon, chairman of IULA ASPAC Committee on Research and Organizational Development, said national governments cannot achieve the development they want without the support, assistance and involvement of local governments, and only through participation and exchanges between different levels of governments can true national development and international regional development occur.
IULA, the largest association of local governments in the world, was founded in 1913 with the aim to promote effective administration and boost their cooperation in various spheres. It now has seven regional sections.
CPAFFC, the event's organizer, joined the Asia-Pacific section in 1999 representing China's local authorities.
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