Following is the full text of Beijing Declaration issued here on Sunday at
the closing ceremony of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties
(ICAPP):
Beijing Declaration 2004
The Third International Conference of Asian Political Parties
September 5, 2004
1. We, leaders and representatives of 81 political parties from 35 countries,
attended the Third International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP)
hosted by the Communist Party of China in Beijing, China, September 3rd through
5th, 2004.
2. The ICAPP, established in September 2000, is a great undertaking, in which
Asian political parties adjust to the contemporary trend of peace and
development, adapt to the rapid development of regional co-operation and expand
international exchanges and co-operation among themselves. The ICAPP has become
an important forum where legal political parties of sovereign Asian countries
can exchange political ideas, seek political consensus and increase
understanding and trust. It has also become a new channel and new mechanism
through which political parties can play a unique role in promoting regional
co-operation and mutual development. The Third ICAPP has injected new vigour
into international exchanges among political parties of Asian countries.
3. "Exchange, co-operation and Development" is not only the explicit theme of
the Third ICAPP but also the undeniable historical duty of Asia's political
parties and politicians. The leaders and representatives of the Asian political
parties at this conference have carried out extensive discussions and exchanges
of ideas on the three topics of regional security and multilateral co-operation,
economic development and social progress, and party building and national
development. The conference has been productive, and it has met the objectives
of further strengthening mutual friendship, exchanges and co-operation,
increasing mutual understanding, trust and consensus, and jointly safeguarding
regional peace, stability and unity.
4. It has already become the common desire of the political parties,
politicians and ordinary people of all Asian countries to adapt to the trend of
the times, increase regional exchanges and co-operation and promote common
development. co-operation in Asia is not exclusive, nor is it directed at any
third party. Asia should develop itself by opening up to the whole world and
advance through contacts all over the world. We advocate resolving differences
through dialogue and negotiation in accordance with the intent and spirit of the
Charter of the United Nations, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and
the ten principles of Bandung. We advocate gradually reforming the inequitable
and unjust aspects of the current international order through mutual trust,
mutual benefit, equality and co-operation, energetically carrying forward the
process of democratization in international relations and co-operatively
promoting Asia's peace, stability, harmony and prosperity.
5. The rapid development of Asia has been aided by a peaceful environment.
Maintaining the momentum of development requires the region's security and
stability. In recent years, the overall situation in Asia has been stable and
its main trend has been towards peace, development and co-operation. However,
traditional and non-traditional security issues have become intertwined, and
both new and old hot spots are still affecting the peace and tranquillity of
some countries and regions. The question of how to ensure the long-term peace
and stability of Asia is a major issue that all Asian political parties and
politicians should ponder deeply. We affirm refusing wars, aggressions and
hegemony. We are committed to multilateral co-operation and believe that justice
will ensure peace. We applaud the efforts Asian countries and political parties
have made to peacefully resolve regional conflicts and crises, and advocate
turning areas of disputes into areas of co-operation.
6. Terrorism, separatism and extremism have already become plagues that do
harm to human society. We strongly condemn and oppose all forms of terrorism. We
advocate strengthening co-operation among sovereign countries and between
regional organizations against terrorism, taking steps to eliminate the root
causes of terrorism while giving full play to the role of the United Nations.
Double standards should not be practised and the fight against terrorism must
not be linked with any particular ethnic group or religion.
7. Asia is one of the most vigorously developing regions in the world and one
of the most important areas for trade growth. We have great confidence in the
development potential of the Asian economy. At the same time we fully recognize
that the world's globalization trend has brought about opportunities and
challenges to every country and the people. Asian countries can take advantage
of their opportunities only by strengthening their co-operation, overcome their
difficulties only by recognizing that they are all in the same boat, and thrive
in the face of fierce global competition only by working together to make
themselves stronger. It is a sacred obligation of all countries and political
parties as well as the international community to eliminate poverty and achieve
prosperity. We encourage governments of all countries to draw up anti-poverty
strategies, reinforce international co-operation and implement diversified
measures to alleviate poverty in an effort to create a better world of common
prosperity without destitution.
8. Energy issues are central to the economic security and sustainable
development of all countries, and the safety of energy resources is a problem
facing the entire international community. Co-operation in energy can become an
important component of Asian regional co-operation. Countries in the region
should expand dialogue and co-operation on the basis of the principles of mutual
benefits and win-win solutions and jointly promote sustainable development in
Asia.
9. We believe that all Asian countries should choose their own development
path and development model in accordance with local conditions, strengthen
co-ordination, exchanges and co-operation in the areas of economic and social
development, and work to create an environment beneficial for development. They
should work together to develop a new concept of development, explore new ways
of thinking about development, expand the connotation of development, and work
hard to promote coordinated and sustainable economic and social development,
urban and rural development, and development of both human beings and nature
throughout the region. They should take advantage of the favourable
opportunities in the region that arise from overall political stability,
continual economic growth and deepening regional co-operation to increase
economic co-operation, progressively open up markets to each other, resolve
trade disputes through negotiation and promote the sound development of a
multilateral trade system.
10. Asian countries have a radiant splendour of historical and cultural
traditions, diverse social and political systems and different levels of
economic development. We advocate strengthening dialogue among different
civilizations, seeking common development through interactions and realizing a
win-win situation by maximizing consensus and setting aside the differences on
the basis of fully respecting each other's historical traditions, cultural
differences and diverse development paths.
11. Asian political parties bear a historic responsibility for developing
their national economies, safeguarding social stability and promoting the
development of democracy and legal systems. As all the countries in Asia
progress towards modernization, their political parties should constantly adjust
to the requirements of the development of the times. In order to achieve social
and political stability and contribute to their country's modernization,
political parties should promote clean and efficient government through vigorous
measures of party building, and effectively integrate all the country's internal
relationships by strengthening ties with parliament, the government and civil
society.
12. Asian political parties, large or small, old or new, should be entirely
equal, respect each other's independence and self-determination, respect each
other's choices and practices, respect each other's internal and external
policies established on the basis of conditions in their respective countries,
and refrain from interfering in each other's internal affairs. Ideological
differences should not be a barrier to contact and co-operation among Asian
political parties. Concerning differences and conflicts between parties, Asia's
political parties should adopt the spirit of seeking common ground and reserving
differences, resolving differences through dialogue and negotiation or
temporarily setting them aside so that they do not affect the normal development
of bilateral relations. We believe that Asian political parties should promote
the sound and stable development of state-to-state relations through positive
contact and co-operation. They should continuously enrich and develop the
potential for co-operation and make full use of their unique role in promoting
economic development, advancing social progress and safeguarding regional
security.
Finally, we wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to the distinguished
Communist Party of China and its leaders for their energetic efforts and
outstanding contributions that have led to the successful convocation of the
Third International Conference of Asian Political Parties.
(China Daily)
