Chinese FM underscores importance of EAS as macro-level dialogue platform

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Wednesday urged East Asia Summit (EAS) to continue to serve as a platform for macro-level dialogue in the region.

EAS, as a leaders-led forum, could be a forward-looking platform for countries in the region to explore ways to push for strong, continued and coordinated growth in the region, said Yang at the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Informal Consultations.

The consultations drew foreign ministers from ten ASEAN ( Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, and New Zealand.

EAS has served as a dialogue platform among different countries in the region on major issues in the past year, including the effect of the international financial crisis, said Yang.

Yang said the world economy is recovering, however, the momentum needs to be further sustained. Countries in the region could make better use of the platform to achieve sound and fast growth.

Yang said EAS has pushed forward cooperation on finance, disaster mitigation, trade, education and climate change in the region.

Yang said China would intensify education cooperation with other EAS countries. In the coming five years, China will provide 400 more government scholarship each year to developing countries in the EAS framework.

Yang also illustrated China's position on region architecture development at the meeting.

Yang said the development of regional architecture is conducive to the peace, development, cooperation and prosperity of East Asia. Yang reaffirmed that ASEAN should maintain centrality in regional framework.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Source:Xinhua