Top legislator Bangguo attends Asia-Pacific forum

Parliamentary leaders from the Asia-Pacific region will start a four-day meeting in the Russian Far East city Vladivostok on Monday amid deadlocked tension on the Korean Peninsula and a territorial dispute between China and Japan.

Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo arrived in Vladivostok on Sunday afternoon for the 21st Annual Meeting of Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum. It is the first time a Chinese top legislator has gone abroad to attend the forum.

Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, is expected to deliver a speech and have several meetings with counterparts from the region.

Wan Chengcai, an expert on Russian studies with the Xinhua Center for World Affairs Studies, said the forum provides a golden opportunity to deepen parliamentary communication with member states, especially between Russia and China.

"Wu's participation shows that China and Russia attach great importance to the Sino-Russian strategic partnership," Wan said.

Founded in 1993, the APPF is an organization of interparliamentary communication with the aim of enhancing cooperation among participating countries to ensure peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

Yu Sui, an expert on Russian studies at the Research Center of Contemporary World, said that the annual meeting is expected to take into consideration regional and global issues of common concerns, including the flaring territorial disputes in the East China Sea and the South China Sea and tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

After the meeting, Wu will pay a goodwill visit to Mongolia, the first Chinese top legislator to visit that country in 16 years. Yu said Wu's visit to Mongolia will demonstrate China's great endeavors to boost political trust with neighboring states. It is also a good opportunity to strengthen ties with the new Mongolian parliament elected in 2012.

Pu Zhendong in Beijing contributed to this story.

Contact the writer at zhuzhe@chinadaily.com.cn