US, Europe need to work with Asia: Chris Patten

Chris Patten, the last Governor of Hong Kong, said on Tuesday in Singapore that the United States and Europe need to work with Asia, especially with China and India, to deal with many current issues in the world.

Also the Chancellor of Oxford and Newcastle Universities, Patten was giving a lecture on "the Transatlantic Partners and the Rise of Asia", which was organized by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

Noting that many of global issues need understanding and international cooperation, Patten suggested that the United States and Europe should try to draw China and India into the management of world affairs.

In his view, China has become the workshop of the world, and will be the world's largest exporter and importer within a decade.

As China's population comprises about 20 percent of the world's total, the world will be better off if China is becoming better off, according to Patten.

Talking about international trade, Patten said that there is increasing protectionism in the United States, Europe and elsewhere, resulting in more bilateral agreements, which always serve the interests of the richer parties, than multilateral ones.

He added that certain solution need to be found out in the coming World Trade Organization's ministerial meeting, which will be held in Hong Kong next month.

Source: Xinhua