Regional integration key to growth
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China is playing an increasingly important role in promoting regional integration and cooperation in Asia, according to participants at an international symposium held earlier this month in Nanning, Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
The conference was held just days before Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's planned visits to four Asian countries and his meetings with his counterparts from the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan, the third meeting of its kind.
Leaders of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) are also scheduled to meet in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan on June 12.
The premier's presence at these two summits underscores China's pro-active role in regional co-operation.
The financial problems in Europe following Greece's debt crisis has caused much uncertainty regarding world economic recovery.
The world has been looking at Asian countries to shore up the global economy since last year. Under such a context, closer co-operation and faster regional integration will help the entire region grow stronger and become better prepared to counter the negative impact of the debt crisis in the Euro zone.
China is willing to work together with its Asian neighbors with greater enthusiasm and push Asia's regional co-operation and economic integration to a higher level.
"Regional economic integration has become a popular trend after multilateral trade negotiations hit a snag in recent years. Against such a background, China has been actively involved in a number of regional frameworks since the 1990s and engaged in cooperation in a full spectrum of areas with related Asian countries," said Zhang Kening, commercial counselor of the international department under the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).
Zhang and other MOFCOM officials who participated at the Nanning conference said China was now actively involved in regional groupings such as the 10+1 (ASEAN-China), 10+3 (ASEAN-China, ROK, Japan), SCO, Greater Mekong Sub-region Cooperation (GMS), Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Cooperation, Central Asia Cooperation and Greater Tumen Initiative in Northeast Asia.
Bilateral and multilateral cooperation has been conducted in a wide range of fields including transportation, infrastructure, energy, facilitation of trade and investment, tourism, environment, agriculture and health.
China's increasing participation has cemented the country's image as a trustworthy partner and won acclaim from international partners.
"The trend of regional integration is gaining momentum in Asia and China is the driving force behind it," said Juergen Steiger, deputy country director with GTZ China, the regional chapter of the German government's aid agency.
"China's consistent and pragmatic approach to these initiatives is helping improve connectivity, expand trade, and create jobs in participating provinces and neighboring countries," said David Kruger, senior specialist with the Asian Development Bank Institute.
Kruger said China's participation is on an equal footing with other countries so as to build mutual respect and trust.
International organizations like the UNDP, the ADB and GTZ have been indispensable players in regional cooperation. They have been disbursing funds and giving technical support to various regional projects.
