In his speech at the APEC High Level Meeting on Human Capacity Building, Jiang proposed five points on human capacity building for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation organization.

-- APEC members should adopt a new concept of development and step up human capacity building.

-- Human resources building should be taken as an important field in APEC exchanges and cooperation and an important measure to assist developing members in their economic growth, narrow North-South gap and simulate coordinated development, Jiang said.

-- APEC members should set up a life-long education system and create a learning society. Efforts should be made to speed up the establishment of a society-wise life-long education system, vigorously develop vocational education and set up an extensive and multi-tiered education and training network.

-- APEC members should popularize information network and optimize methods of learning and self-improvement.

More people should be encouraged to log onto the Internet, and that the disadvantaged groups should be assisted in acquiring better capabilities for development, so that more people will benefit from information and network technology, Jiang stated.

The developed members of the international community should provide assistance to the developing ones to narrow the "digital divide" and make efforts to speed up the IT infrastructure construction of the latter, carry out related training programs for them, share knowledge resources with them and help improve their labor quality.

-- APEC member should carry forward the spirit of innovation and cultivate young talents.

-- APEC members should intensify exchanges and cooperation under the principle of mutual benefit and reciprocity.

He said that within the framework of APEC, to increase personnel exchanges, enhance information flow and foster a multi-level, multi-form cooperation mechanism to the benefit of all sides should become part of the organization's substantive cooperation.

The developing members should play their part. But at the same time, it is highly necessary for them to carry out cooperation under the principle of mutual benefit, reciprocity and common development.

"We hope that the developed members will render financial, material and technological support to the developing ones to speed up their human capacity building," he said, adding that this will contribute not only to the economic and social development of the developing members, but also to the early attainment of common prosperity in the region.

(Xinhua 05/15/2001)