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Asia and Europe to address crises at Beijing meeting
THE seventh Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) will be held in Beijing on October 24-25. Leaders from 45 economies in Asia and Europe will discuss pressing global issues.
1. What is ASEM?
It is a schema set up to promote cooperation between Asia and Europe. Currently, it has 45 member economies, 27 from Europe and 18 from Asia. They represent half of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP), almost 60 percent of the world’s population and 60 percent of global trade. The summit is held every two years.
2. How was ASEM formed?
It was born in the 1990s because countries on the two continents recognized the need to strengthen their relationships. Due to Asia’s fast growth at that time, the European Commission published a strategy plan in 1994, stressing the importance of improving relations with Asia. In that year, Singapore and France proposed that an EU-Asia summit be held. They desired a schema like the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), which helped strengthen the relationship between Asia and the US. APEC, set up in 1989, includes China, Russia, Japan, South Korea and the US. Two years later, the first ASEM summit was held in Bangkok.
3. What is China’s role at ASEM?
China plays an important role, as the EU is the nation’s largest trade partner. In 2007, the trade volume between China and Europe totaled $356 billion. China has made 17 proposals at ASEM among the over 100 proposals made since its founding.
4. What are the key issues to be discussed at this year’s ASEM?
Apart from climate change and the grain crisis, the financial crisis will likely be a major topic at the summit. Some member nations hope a joint fund will be established, similar to the one established at the ASEM summit in London in 1998 to deal with the Asian financial crisis
adj. 联合的，共同的，合资的，连带的
n.
