Asian countries should strengthen cooperation in the fight against
severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS) and for economic
development.
Experts at the on-going forum on "SARS and Asia's Economy --
Impacts and Policy Recommendations", jointly sponsored by the Boao
Forum for Asia (BFA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), agreed
that joint efforts were required.
The forum, held in Beijing at a critical time during the SARS
outbreak, invited nearly 100 experts, diplomats, entrepreneurs,
government officials and representatives with international
organizations, for in-depth discussions on the impact of SARS on
the Asian economy and appropriate counter-measures.
BFA Secretary-General Long Yongtu said the fight against SARS was
in the common interests of all Asian countries.
"People in similar circumstances help each other and try to
overcome the difficulty in concert," Long said.
At
the special meeting on SARS held by the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bangkok last month, in which China also
participated, leaders all expressed determination to defeat SARS,
Long said. They vowed to improve regional and international
exchanges of information, policy and experience, according to
Long.
Asian countries had achieved considerable progress in fighting
against SARS, which was attributable to the unswerving confidence
of the leaders and the measures they had adopted, he said.
Ifzal Ali, chief economist of the ADB, said that given the global
implications of contagious diseases, governments needed to
intensify cooperation and coordination. As well as coming up with
common responses to diseases that have already struck such as
SARS,there was a particular need for developed countries and more
advanced developing countries to devote funds to collaborative
anticipatory or proactive research on combating such diseases.
"Much effort is also needed to develop effective policy measures
and institutional capacity for preventing, reporting, monitoring
and containing all contagious diseases," he added.
He
said SARS presented a challenge for regional cooperation andit was
important that governments of China and ASEAN countries, by
convening a leaders' meeting in Bangkok, demonstrated a proactive
and collective effort in strengthening regional cooperation to
combat SARS. Additional cooperation would be required.
Secretary-General of ASEAN Ong Keng Yong said SARS had brought
ASEAN member countries closer and made them more resolute in their
efforts to intensify regional and international cooperation and to
help every ASEAN member country cope with the situation.
Singaporean Ambassador to China, Chin Siat Yoon, said SARS had no
boundaries, so regional cooperation should play a significant role.
A cooperative framework should be established to continue regional
cooperation in economic, commercial, tourist, trading, commodities
circulation and other fields.
(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2003)
