Asia should explore establishment of security co-op framework

BOAO -- Asian countries should build consensus, make active efforts and jointly fulfill their due responsibilities to achieve peace and stability in Asia, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Thursday.

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"We should actively explore the establishment of a regional security cooperation framework in Asia," the premier said at the opening ceremony of the 2014 annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) held in south China's Hainan Province.

"We should promote security dialogue and consultation, strengthen cooperation on non-traditional security issues, including disaster management, maritime search and rescue, counter-terrorism and combating transnational crimes," Li said.

While saying China will give full support to initiatives that help strengthen maritime cooperation, the premier reiterated that China is firm in its resolve to uphold its territorial sovereignty and will respond firmly to provocations that undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea.

"We Chinese believe in repaying kindness with kindness and meeting wrongdoing with justice. We value friendship and never treat friends unfairly, and we also stand by principles and firmly uphold our fundamental position," Li said.

China is ready to steadily advance consultation on a code of conduct in the South China Sea within the framework of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and work with other nations to ensure stability and freedom of navigation in the region, Li said.

The four-day conference features the theme of "Asia's New Future: Identifying New Growth Drivers" this year.

As a non-governmental and non-profit international organization founded in 2001, the BFA works to promote regional integration and bring Asian countries closer to their development goals.

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