Shanghai – Chinese President Xi Jinping Wednesday called for cooperation in development and security in Asia, adding that “no country should dominate” the continent.
He said this while addressing the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building-Measures in Asia (CICA) that is being attended by over 20 heads of states and governments.
The Chinese president said that Asia “is increasingly becoming a community” that requires better cooperation against terrorism, separatism and extremism, at the same time “respecting the sovereignty of the member countries”.Among those attending this year’s CICA are Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Hassan Rohani and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, besides UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon.
In times when his country disputes its maritime sovereignty with neighbours, including Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines, the Chinese president pledged his commitment towards “development through peaceful process”, referring to China’s role in North Korea’s denuclearisation negotiations and rehabilitation work in Afghanistan.
Xi also called for the creation of a new “Silk Route” to strengthen cooperation among Asian countries with greater emphasis on economic ties.
Welcoming the two new member countries, Qatar and Bangladesh, the leader proclaimed that “Asia is the most dynamic and promising region of the current world scenario”.
Born out of Kazakhstani president’s Nursultan Nazarbayev initiative in 1992, CICA is an organisation with 26 member countries and nine observers ranging from Ukraine to Japan, even including the US. – IANS/Yahoo News
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali on Wednesday called upon the CICA member and observer countries to work together for achieving peace, security and stability in Asia through sustainable development, tackling climate change, counterterrorism, and eliminating the weapons of mass destruction.
He made the call while delivering a statement at the 4th Summit of Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) as a full member of the organisation for the first time in Shanghai, China, said a Foreign Ministry media release here.
On Tuesday, Bangladesh was admitted into CICA as a full member after the signing of accession instruments by the Foreign Minister in Shanghai.
The Foreign Minister highlighted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ‘People’s Empowerment and Development’ model which was unanimously adopted as a resolution in the 67th UNGA in 2012.
This manifests Bangladesh’s commitment to promoting international peace and development.
He hoped that the People’s Republic of China would infuse dynamism into the CICA activities to take it to a newer height with the Summit’s theme, ‘Enhancing dialogue, trust and coordination for a New Asia of peace, stability and cooperation’.
As the CICA chair, China would make efforts promoting cooperative security architecture in Asia through a vision of shared security, common development and prosperity, he said.
On the sidelines of the CICA Summit, Bangladesh Foreign Minister also had bilateral meetings with Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
During the meetings, issues of mutual interests between Bangladesh and all of these countries were discussed.
The Foreign Minister of China expressed his keen interest to expand bilateral relations with Bangladesh, particularly in the area of trade and investment.
The Bangladesh Foreign Minister also highlighted the historical and cultural bonds between the two countries and sought support for different development initiatives.
Mahmood Ali congratulated China for being the CICA Chair and appreciated its support to Bangladesh for becoming a CICA member.
Launched in 1999, CICA is an inter-governmental forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia.
The focus of the organisation is on confidence building measures (CBM) including new threats and challenges, economic dimension, environmental dimension and human dimension. – Agencies
