The 2008 Model Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) commenced yesterday with 134
participants spending two days canvassing on the theme of "Vision and action:
towards a win-win solution".
The two-day conference was organized by the All-China Youth Federation (ACYE)
and Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF). Most of attendees are students.
They would discuss on an array of topics including resources conservation,
competence for sustainable growth, and new global challenges, said Ambassador
Nguyen Quoc Khanh, deputy executive director of ASEF.
Lu Yongzheng, vice president of ACYE, said this event played a constructive
role in enhancing friendship among youths and symbolized the consensus of ASEF
leaders to encourage young people's participation.
Shen Wei, President of Executive Committee of Asia-Europe University Alumni
Network (ASEFUAN), a co-organizer of the event, told Xinhua that this was the
biggest-Model ASEM activity with participants coming from 39 Asian and European
countries.
Shen described this event a prelude to the coming 7th ASEM Summit that would
be held in Beijing on October 24 to 25, with leaders from 45 ASEM members
expected to attend the meeting.
Liu Jieyi, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister, said all the conference
members should possess a broad picture of global scenario and learn to "mutually
respect each other" and seek common ground while reserve differences.
"I really appreciate this kind of communication in which people would speak
not for the country where he or she is from. Young friends could talk in a frank
way and deepen understanding of each other," Liu added.
Katrin Buchmann, who is studying at the College of Europe and representing
India in this meeting, said she was quite interested in the topics like
terrorism, food crisis and climate change.
Jaime Reis, a composer from Portugal, said "I have never been engaged in such
an interesting and diverse meeting. I'm confident we will all create real
synergies to increase our personal projects to achieve a better, plural and
harmonious world giving our vision and preparing actions towards a win-win
solution."