The parliaments of five countries - Romania, Bulgaria, India, Pakistan and Mongolia - became members of the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (ASEP) at the 5th ASEP in Beijing on June 19.
That expands the number of member parliaments in the ASEP to 43 from 38. Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), gave a sincere welcome to the five new members in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 5th ASEP, at which Wu is also the chairman.
The top legislator speaks highly of the role of ASEP. "It is fair to say that the ASEP is maturing and becoming an important platform to strengthen dialogue, increase mutual trust and advance cooperation among parliaments of ASEM members," Wu said in his speech.
More than 100 representatives from 32 delegations outside China attend the meeting which is being held from June 18 to 20. This is the first time that China has hosted the event.
The ASEP was launched in 1996 and is designed to promote mutual understanding between the countries and people of Asia and Europe through communication and exchanges between parliaments. The meeting is held once every two years, alternating between Asia and Europe.
By People's Daily Online
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