Peng Peiyun, deputy-chairwoman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC) made the remark at the opening ceremony of the Seventh General Assembly of the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD), which opened in Beijing Thursday.

The AFPPD, set up on Oct. 30, 1981 in China, is an international inter-parliamentary organization that aims to promote communication and cooperation among government members in Asian and Oceanic nations regarding world population and development.

Peng, who is also head of the Chinese delegation to the assembly, said that while engaged in economic development, the Chinese government had always put great emphasis on population control to improve the quality of Chinese people's lives.

She said China had effectively controlled its excessive population growth in the past, and the birthrate has been kept below the replacement level.

China had also speeded up legislation on population and sustainable development, Peng said. In recent years, the NPC Standing Committee has formulated a series of laws, including the Environmental Protection Law, Land Administration Law, Water Law, Forestry Law, Mineral Resources Law and Law on Health Protection of Mothers and Infants, providing legal guarantees for the country's sustainable development.

Peng said China had also promulgated a Law on Population and Family Planning on Dec. 29, 2001, which would have a far-reaching effect on further implementing the family planning policy, safeguarding the legal rights and interests of Chinese citizens and promoting social progress. The Chinese government had also striven to promote equality between men and women. Peng said the NPC Standing Committee this year had monitored the introduction of the Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests and discussed inspection results at Standing Committee meetings.

On the problem of AIDS, Peng said China attached great importance to the prevention and control of the disease, and the NPC Standing Committee would further fight the disease through supervision and legislation.

As one of the members and founders of the AFPPD, China would, as always, support the forum and make due contribution to the stability of the world's population and world peace, Peng said.

Yoshio Yatsu, chairman of the AFPPD said at the opening ceremony that effective control of excessive population growth was the prerequisite to achieving sustainable development. The AFPPD had played a positive role in promoting population control, environmental protection, prevention and control of AIDS and protection of women, he said, adding that the AFPPD will continue to exert a positive influence on advancing work in this field.

Kunui Waki, deputy executive director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said in addition to the problem of education and healthcare, which had been improved greatly in the past years in some Asian countries, some new problems like AIDS, food safety and environmental protection had occurred. He said the UNFPA was willing to make concerted efforts with all countries to achieve global sustainable development.

According to a source with the General Office of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), some 186 parliamentarians and representatives from 28 Asian countries are attending the two-day assembly.

(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2002)