Editor's note: Following is the speech of Wang Chen, minister of the State Council Information Office of China, delivered at the 2nd Conference of the ASEAN Plus Three Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI+3) in Kuala Lumpur on March 1, 2012.

H.E. Minister Rais Yatim,

Distinguished ministers,

Ladies, gentlemen and friends,

It's a great pleasure for me to attend the Second Conference of the ASEAN Plus Three Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI+3). I'm glad to share with my colleagues and friends from ASEAN countries, Japan and the Republic of Korea my views on how to enhance media cooperation, boost regional development and increase Asia's influence in the world. On behalf of the State Council Information Office of China, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the meeting and my sincere gratitude to the host country for their warm hospitality and thoughtful arrangements.

Wang Chen [File Photo]

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the cooperation of ASEAN Plus Three countries (APT), namely, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. One-and-a-half decades ago, East Asia was seriously challenged by economic globalization, regional integration and the Asian Financial Crisis. However, East Asian countries rose to the challenge and seized the opportunity. In response to the initiative by ASEAN, the APT cooperation mechanism was set up, opening a new channel for promoting regional cooperation and achieving a win-win situation. In the past few years, this mechanism has picked up momentum and scored a notable success by focusing on concrete matters, diversifying methods of cooperation and improving the cooperation mechanism. As a major result of the APT Summit, the AMRI+3 conference shoulders the responsibility of boosting regional media communication and cooperation, promoting the participation and support of all social forces and fostering an atmosphere favorable for the building of a peaceful, prosperous and harmonious East Asia. Since the first AMRI+3 conference in 2009 in Vientiane, Laos, relations between China and ASEAN countries, Japan and the Republic of Korea have witnessed fast development. Thanks to efforts such as information sharing, media cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and media forums, we have managed to improve the mutual understanding of different countries and make a positive contribution to boosting regional economic and social advancements, intensifying regional stability and development and extending East Asia's influence across the international stage.

 

The cooperation of East Asian countries aims at bringing about peaceful and prosperous regional development. This is a consensus among ASEAN countries, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. East Asia is handicapped by a rather large poverty-stricken population and a relatively wide gap between the rich and the poor. There are many problems inherited from the past and complicated conflicts piled upon the old. The task is difficult, especially in terms of narrowing regional gaps and promoting mutual development. The challenge is great with regard to boosting people-to-people exchanges, enhancing friendships between different countries and laying a solid foundation for strengthening regional relations. In order to promote positive and effective media exchange and cooperation among APT countries, I would like to make four proposals as follows:

 

First, we should give full play to media's social responsibilities and major functions so as to promote a peaceful and prosperous development of East Asia. Despite unique national conditions, countries in East Asia are faced with similar challenges. We share the same objectives: maintaining peace and stability in Asia; stimulating regional economic development; enhancing cooperation with other Asian countries and improving the wellbeing of our people. We also cherish the same hope of creating a regional environment in which people of all countries will achieve success. Over the past few years, against the backdrop of growing economic globalization, countries in East Asia have adjusted their economic structures, further opened themselves to the world, intensified regional cooperation and made strides in economic and social development. At the same time, however, we are faced with severe competition in the global economy, great challenges of reducing poverty and seeking growth and tough tasks of enhancing mutual trust and maintaining peace. Under such circumstances, APT countries' media should fulfill their responsibilities, such as disseminating information, boosting exchange, consolidating common understandings and clearing up misunderstandings. They should play a vigorous role in promoting regional relations. They should strengthen their sense of duty, conduct unbiased news reporting and better fulfill their social, moral and international obligations of enhancing mutual understanding, improving the feelings of people from different countries towards one another and fostering a benign social atmosphere. Active efforts should be made to urge all countries in the region to work hand-in-hand to take up challenges such as the global financial crisis, climate change and energy and food security, and bring about a sustained, healthy development of regional economy and society. Hard efforts should be made to urge countries to learn from each other, respect their differences in growth, culture, tradition, religion and other sectors, promote the harmonious development of different civilizations and achieve an inclusive development. Vigorous efforts should be made to urge countries to adhere to the principle of mutual respect and good-neighborliness to seek common ground while reserving differences, correctly handle differences of opinion and maintain regional peace and stability.