Exchange, Cooperation and Development Beijing Declaration 2004 From People’s Democracy

Following is the full text of Beijing Declaration issued in Beijing on September 5, 2004 at the closing ceremony of the Third International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP):

1. We, the 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 3-5, 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 cooperation and expand international exchanges and cooperation 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 their unique role in promoting regional cooperation and mutual development. The Third ICAPP has injected new vigour into international exchanges among political parties of Asian countries.

3. 'Exchange, Cooperation and Development' is not only the explicit theme of the Third ICAPP but also the unshirkable 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 discussion and exchanges of ideas on the three topics of regional security and multilateral cooperation, 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 cooperation, 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 cooperation and promote common development. Cooperation 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 cooperation, energetically carrying forward the process of democratisation in international relations and cooperatively 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 toward peace, development and cooperation. 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 cooperation 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 cooperation.

6. Terrorism, splittism and extremism have already become plagues that do harm to human society. We strongly condemn and oppose all forms of terrorism. We advocate strengthening cooperation among sovereign countries and between regional organisations 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 practiced 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 recognise that the world’s globalisation 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 cooperation, overcome their difficulties only by recognising 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 cooperation 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. Cooperation in energy can become an important component of Asian regional cooperation. Countries in the region should expand dialogue and cooperation 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 coordination, exchanges and cooperation 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 the overall political stability, the continual economic growth and the deepening regional cooperation to increase economic cooperation, 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 civilisations, seeking common development through interactions and realizing a win-win situation by maximising the consensus and setting aside the differences on the basis of fully respecting each other’s historical traditions, cultural differences and diversified 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 toward modernisation, 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 modernisation, 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 the parliament, the government and the civil society.

12. Asian political parties, large or small, old or new, should be entirely equal, respect other’s independence and self-determination, respect other’s choices and practices, respect others internal and external policies established on the basis of conditions in their respective countries, and refrain from interfering in other’s internal affairs. Ideological differences should not be a barrier to contacts and cooperation 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 contacts and cooperation. They should continuously enrich the connotation and develop the potential for cooperation 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 led to the successful convocation of the Third International Conference of Asian Political Parties.