M A I N   N E W S

22 Asian nations adopt
13-point programme on cooperation
Rajeev Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 22
The 22-member Asia cooperation dialogue (ACD) today decided to intensify cooperation among themselves in a big way to take Asia’s economic integration to the next level, make travel into and within Asia easier and bridge the divide within Asia and between Asia and the world.

The decision was taken at the ACD’s third ministerial meeting held in Qingdao (China) today at the end of which a declaration called “Declaration on Asia Cooperation: Hand in Hand for a Better Asia” and “Qingdao Initiative” were adopted. Copies of the two documents were made available by the Ministry of External Affairs here.

The declaration, while acknowledging that Asia’s economic integration is still at an initial stage and its level of cooperation has to be further strengthened, has decided on a 13-point programme to begin with. 

The 13 points are as follows:

To intensify political dialogue and enhance mutual trust.

To enhance economic cooperation, promote regional integration process and vigorously develop intra-regional trade.

To promote sustainable development of agriculture and to ensure food security and food safety to promote Asia’s balanced development. Also to intensify dialogues on agricultural policies and practical agricultural techniques.

To promote financial stability, particularly through the development of a sound and solid financial infrastructure.

To boost cooperation in information technology (IT) and bridge the digital divide within Asia and between Asia and the world.

To promote energy cooperation by stepping up collaboration to ensure security of energy supply at reasonable costs acceptable for both producers and consumers, and with due consideration of the environment.

To give full play to Asia’s advantage as the cradle of ancient civilisations, facilitate inter-cultural exchanges and advance dialogues among different civilizations.

To step up tourism cooperation and make travel into and within Asia easier and more efficient.

To build a green Asia.

To strengthen cooperation in public health and improve disease control and prevention.

To strengthen media cooperation and promote regular exchanges among Asia media practitioners.

To enhance exchanges and cooperation among the public, private and academic sections of Asia.

To promote a sense of community among Asian people.

The ACD members are Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

ACD is the newest among a host of Asian organisations which are working to the enhancement of mutual trust and the promotion of regional economic cooperation and integration. Important such organisations are the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), ASEAN plus China, Japan and Republic of Korea (South Korea) cooperation (10+3), ASEAN+1 (China, India, Japan, South Korea), the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO), the Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Thailand Economic Cooperation (BIMST-EC), the Conference of Interaction and Confidence Buildng Measures (CICA) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

The role of ACD is significant as it is an important link of all sub-regions, building upon Asia’s potentials and strengths through supplementing and complementing existing cooperative frameworks. The forum provides a useful platform for dialogue and cooperation among Asian countries.

ACD project activities over the past two years have covered a vast field including poverty alleviation, financial cooperation, tourism, bio-technology, IT, energy, e-education, agriculture, strengthening legal infrastructure standardisation and environmental education.