Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan will on Friday deliver a key-note speech to a meeting of Asian and European foreign ministers in Beijing, emphasizing the importance of growing Asia-Europe links.

Sources said Tang will press in his address for more closer cooperation between the two huge continents in both economic and political spheres, against the backdrop of the world's only superpower, the United States, set to behave in a more unilateral way.

The cooperation between Asia and Europe is of strategic importance, said a senior Chinese Foreign Ministry official.

``Asia and Europe need each other politically and economically. The cooperation between Asia and Europe is of far-reaching importance to the peace and stability of Asia and Europe and the world as well and to the development of multi-polarization in the world,'' the official told chinadaily.com.cn, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Since the Republicans took over the White House in January this year, the US government has decided to retreat from the Tokyo Protocol, a multinational agreement to gradually reduce emissions to the atmosphere. The Bush administration is also determined to develop a missile defence system, which runs counter to the 1972 anti-ballistic missile treaty it signed with the former Soviet Union.

``The United States is acting in a unilateral way, distancing itself even from its traditional Western European allies,'' said a Western diplomat.

Tang, the Chinese foreign minister, will also stress the broad prospects of Asian-European cooperation, the sources said.

Experts believe the two continents are economically complementary. While Asia is rich in natural and human resources, and has a huge market, Europe has abundant capital and an advanced level of science and technology.

Over the past five years, Asia-Europe cooperation has withstood the test of time and shown great vitality. As the world economy is slowing down and uncertain factors have increased, it is still urgent and necessary to strengthen the cooperation, the experts said.

(China Daily 05/24/2001)