--Maintain food security and promote cooperation on disaster relief. We should place high importance on agriculture, accord food security greater priority in our development policies and adopt integrated mid-to-long-term measures to raise agricultural productivity. We should intensify international coordination to curb excessive speculation, improve the food trading system and establish a fair and equitable international trading order for agricultural products. We should step up cooperation in disaster reduction and relief to minimize the risk of disasters and their damages. To this end, we wish to put forward an initiative on ASEM Cooperation on Disaster Relief Capacity Building to strengthen cooperation on disaster reduction and management among Asian and European countries.

--Promote dialogue among civilizations and build open and inclusive societies. Only by being open and inclusive can a country prosper and can our continent prosper. We should build on the tradition of cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe, take advantage of modern transport and information technologies to enrich the contents and diversify the forms of exchanges and increase the participation of the young people and the media. With this in mind, China proposes that countries in Asia and Europe take turns to host the ASEM Culture and Arts Festival.

Dear colleagues,

This year marks the 30th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up program. In the past 30 years, China has engaged in dialogue and cooperation and achieved win-win progress with the rest of the world. Reform and opening-up have transformed China's political, economic and social outlook, significantly enhanced its overall national strength, and integrated the Chinese economy more closely with that of the region and the world. China has been playing a more active and extensive role in the settlement of international hotspot issues, UN peacekeeping operations, cooperation on poverty alleviation and disaster reduction and international social and cultural exchanges. Reform and opening-up have not only brought enormous benefits to the Chinese people but also offered tremendous opportunities for and instilled vitality in global development. We will remain committed to the path of peaceful development, unswervingly pursue reform and opening-up, adhere to an independent foreign policy of peace, and work tirelessly for the noble cause of peace, cooperation and development of mankind.

In our efforts to fight against the earthquake disaster and host the Beijing Olympic Games, we were committed to opening-up and international cooperation, and received broad understanding, support and assistance. On behalf of the Chinese Government and people, I wish to take this opportunity to express sincere gratitude to our ASEM partners and the entire international community.

Dear colleagues,

ASEM's development in the past 12 years shows that exchanges lead to progress, mutual benefit sustains cooperation and win-win progress ensures a bright future. Reviewing the past, we feel encouraged by our achievements. Looking forward, we are fully aware of our heavy responsibilities and the challenges ahead. Let us strengthen our conviction that with dialogue and cooperation, we can achieve mutual benefit and win-win progress. Let us work together to overcome challenges and write an even more splendid chapter in the annals of Asia-Europe cooperation.

Thank you.

(Source: www.fmprc.gov.cn)