Former Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen called for a better Asia-Pacific region in Shanghai Monday at the ongoing 60th session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The goals of maintenance of peace and stability, mutual respect and trust, full development of all the people, respect for human rights and dignity, elimination of poverty and inequality, coexistence of different cultures in harmony and abandoning of discrimination and prejudice should be realized in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.

In addressing a high-level visionary panel meeting for Asia and the Pacific 2020 of the session, Qian said all kinds of threats and challenges including territorial and border disputes, ethnic, political and military conflicts as well as economic and resource conflicts stand in the way to those goals.

He advocated collective actions, equality and mutual benefit, maintenance of cultural diversity and balanced and sustainable development, suggesting that multilateral cooperative mechanisms with the United Nations as the core be enhanced.

International disputes in the Asia-Pacific region should be peacefully solved through dialogues, negotiations and mediations in accordance with the UN Charter, he said.

Poverty and under-development are important factors causing conflicts and instability in the region, so the solution of the development issue is the most urgent task for the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the sharpest weapon to deal with threats and challenges, he said.

A powerful China is not a threat to its neighboring countries, but a partner, since China has a tradition of "building a good neighborly relationship," he said.

The peaceful rise of China will benefit the region and the world at large, and China will stick to principles of equality, cooperation and mutual benefit in regional cooperation, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 27, 2004)