A senior Singaporean cultural official said in Beijing Wednesday that all Asian and European countries should set up an information platform and cultural exchange system for more beneficial cultural exchanges.

Lee Boon Yang, Singaporean minister of information, communications and the arts, made the remark at the on-going Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Conference on Cultures and Civilizations, the largest cultural ministerial conference of this kind held in Beijing.

Lee said the cultural workers could find corresponding institutions and carry out cultural exchanges and cooperative programs through the information network established by the cultural institutions in Asia and Europe.

Given some misunderstandings and conflicts, the cultural ministers should create more channels to serve the people of all countries and help achieve cultural diversity, said Lee. The cultural misunderstanding and differences could be tackled through the development and cooperation of ASEM members and related groups, Lee added.

He also proposed ASEM members further step up university exchanges, saying that the exchanges between colleges, universities and other academic institutions would make the young people understand and respect each other's cultures.

Asian countries were facing major dramatic social changes in the context of globalization and the widespread cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe would contribute to a stable and prosperous world of diversity, Lee said.
 
(Xinhua News Agency December 4, 2003)