The three-day First China-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth, which opened in Beijing on September 28, brings together ministers in charge of youth affairs from China and the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

On Wednesday, participants adopted the Beijing Declaration, pledging to enhance exchanges and cooperation between young people to promote development in the region.

“Exchanges between young people are conducive to deepening the friendship between China and ASEAN countries and advancing economic and cultural cooperation among these countries, ”said Zhou Qiang, first secretary of Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China.

The declaration also calls for a favorable environment for creating job opportunities and starting businesses for the young.

Describing Wednesday’s meeting as “historic,” Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV, chairman and chief executive officer of the National Youth Commission of the Philippines, pointed out that this is the first time for China and ASEAN to meet regarding youth.

“As we plan for the future of our young people, we plan for the future of the region; as we plan for the welfare of the young, we plan for the welfare of the region,” he said at the meeting.

At Wednesday’s session, the ministers also adopted a Joint Work Plan to address the strategies outlined in the Beijing Declaration. A second meeting will be held in Singapore in 2006.

In October 2003, Chinese and ASEAN leaders signed a joint declaration in Bali, Indonesia, setting out their commitment to strengthening youth exchanges and establishing a youth ministers meeting mechanism.

(Xinhua News Agency September 30, 2004)