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)