The three-day First China-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth,
which opened in Beijing on September 28, brings together ministers
in charge of youth affairs from China and the 10 member countries
of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
On Wednesday, participants adopted the Beijing Declaration,
pledging to enhance exchanges and cooperation between young people
to promote development in the region.
“Exchanges between young people are conducive to deepening the
friendship between China and ASEAN countries and advancing economic
and cultural cooperation among these countries, ”said Zhou Qiang,
first secretary of Secretariat of the Central Committee of the
Communist Youth League of China.
The declaration also calls for a favorable environment for
creating job opportunities and starting businesses for the
young.
Describing Wednesday’s meeting as “historic,” Paolo Benigno A.
Aquino IV, chairman and chief executive officer of the National
Youth Commission of the Philippines, pointed out that this is the
first time for China and ASEAN to meet regarding youth.
“As we plan for the future of our young people, we plan for the
future of the region; as we plan for the welfare of the young, we
plan for the welfare of the region,” he said at the meeting.
At Wednesday’s session, the ministers also adopted a Joint Work
Plan to address the strategies outlined in the Beijing Declaration.
A second meeting will be held in Singapore in 2006.
In October 2003, Chinese and ASEAN leaders signed a joint
declaration in Bali, Indonesia, setting out their commitment to
strengthening youth exchanges and establishing a youth ministers
meeting mechanism.
(Xinhua News Agency September 30, 2004)