More than 90 experts from six countries and seven international
organizations gathered Monday in Lanzhou, the capital city of
northwest China's Gansu
Province, to discuss Asian migration and development.
At the opening ceremony, Chen Weixiong, senior counselor of the
Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, said that migration is beneficial for the economy, but
it can also contribute to the problems of illegal immigration,
smuggling and drug dealing.
Chen said that all countries should make concerted efforts to
prevent transnational crimes while maintaining the benefits of
migration.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM),
there are more than 175 million people flowing across national
boundaries around the globe, accounting for 3 percent of the
world's population.
Chen said that China, as a developing country, has given
priority to global migration problems and actively participated in
establishing a multilateral solution.
But, he added, sound implementation of policies is crucial to
success.
"One thousand proposals are not as good as one concrete action.
This elaborates the importance of action. . . . Governments will
obtain tangible outcome through solid action according to their own
national conditions."
Describing the international migration situation as "worrisome,"
Gervais Appave, director of the IOM's Migration Policy and
Research, urged the incorporation of migration problems into
national and regional plans to minimize negative effects.
The Regional Conference on Asian Migration and Development is
sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the IOM and
Britain's Department for International Development.
During the three-day event, experts will discuss such issues as
poverty, migration, hygiene, social welfare, gender and migration,
domestic migration and international migration.
(China.org.cn, Xinhua News Agency March 15, 2005)