The forum, which was held at the same time with the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit, believed that "business needs confidence to work in a stable and predictable regulatory and economic environment, where obstacles to trade in goods and services as well as investment will be removed."

The best framework for this environment is provided by the multilateral trade regime, says a chairman's statement released on Monday.

The forum also asked the ASEM governments to remove discriminatory rules and treatment and abide by the agreed common rules.

"Fair competition and a stable regulatory environment supported by good governance are necessary for business," says the statement.

The forum also asked businesses to pay due attention to energy problem, and make efforts to ensure the availability of environmentally sound energy at a reasonable price.

The Asia-Europe Business Forum is a meeting of business leaders with the aim to strengthen economic cooperation between the business sectors of Asia and Europe.