China on Tuesday urged the international community to push ahead with the anti-terrorism campaign from a global perspective so as to curb the spread of terrorist forces and effectively meet the threat of terrorism.

It is imperative for countries to do so because international terrorist activities are presently "characterized by multifarious targets, hi-tech means and cyber organization," said Zhu Mingshan, a Chinese lawmaker attending the ongoing forth General Assembly of the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP) in Manila.

The anti-terrorism campaign needs strengthened international cooperation, as what has happened in recent years shows that all countries may fall victims to terrorism, which knows no boundary, Zhu, a member of China's National People's Congress Standing Committee, told an AAPP workshop.

He said both the root cause and symptoms should be stressed while addressing the terrorism issue. "Prolonged backwardness, huge wealth disparity, and social injustice, among others, have to a large extent bred terrorism. Local disturbances, racial hatred, ethnic clashes and religious conflicts have provided terrorism with space for operation," he elaborated.

It is impossible to eradicate terrorism "unless we implement a global development strategy based on co-existence, mutuality and sharing of success and prosperity and promote common development and prosperity of all humanity," Zhu said.

The Chinese lawmaker also said that communication and mutual understanding between civilizations should be strengthened in combating terrorism.

Counter-terrorism "should not incur new contradictions or disturbances ... be linked up with a particular country, people or religion, nor should it aggravate ethnic conflicts, religious feud, clashes of civilizations or estrangement of people," he said.

China will continue its fruitful cooperation with countries in Asia and the world at large on the basis of "cooperation as equals, reciprocity and mutual benefit," Zhu said, adding that the Chinese legislature is ready to work together with other parliaments in Asia to crack down on terrorism.

The 37-member AAPP, which opened its fourth general assembly on Monday, is the largest regional parliamentary organization in Asia and the most influential platform and channel for dialogue among Asian parliaments and legislators.

The AAPP, formally launched in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, in September 1999, is committed to promoting peace through dialogue and policy-making for the cause of political, economic and social development.
 
(Xinhua News Agency September 3, 2003)