Economic prosperity has become the policy goal and task of various political parties in the times of great changes in the global situation, said high-ranking officials of Asian political parties to attend the upcoming Third International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) in Beijing.

They agreed the conference would provide a platform for parties to fully exchange their economic development experiences, regardless of their historical background and ideologies.
 
M. Nimal Perera, administrative secretary of the Youth Organization of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, said that a responsible political party, big or small, should devote itself to improving people's living standards and eliminating poverty.

"Over the past decades, we had our problems. Now we want peace and crave for prosperity," he said, expecting to learn a lot from the three-day conference to be opened on Friday.

Alexander P. Vladislavlev, member of the General Council of the Party "United Russia", said that the world has entered a new period and more in-depth cooperation is needed.

"Since my first visit to China in 1976, I've seen great progress in the Chinese economy.
With the world economy under the threat of single-polarization and terrorism, the conference will serve as the beginning of a very serious dialogue among Asian political parties," he said.

Calling the meeting "a grand gathering," Ganesan Devarajan, secretary of the Central Committee of the All India Forward Bloc, said that the conference's three main topics, which include regional security and multilateral cooperation, economic growth and social progress, party building and the national development, were very valuable and practical.

"We wish to seek more cooperation in the economic and cultural fields," he said.

Sources with the conference's organization committee revealed that more than 80 political parties from 34 Asian countries have registered for the conference, the first of its kind to be hosted by the Chinese Communist Party.

(Xinhua News Agency September 3, 2004)