SYMPOSIUM ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ALONG NEW EURO-ASIA CONTINENTAL BRIDGE OPENS IN BEIJING

9 May 1996

Press Release
DEV/2111

SYMPOSIUM ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ALONG NEW EURO-ASIA CONTINENTAL BRIDGE OPENS IN BEIJING

19960509 NEW YORK, 8 May (DDSMS) -- A three-day international symposium on economic development of the region along a new Euro-Asia continental bridge opened on 7 May in Beijing, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas, information and experience among the more than 400 participating government officials, experts and representatives of the business community. Their objective was to discuss the present status of economic and social advancement of the countries of the region, thereby, laying the groundwork for a new continental bridge to cover a vast area of the Eurasian continent. The symposium was organized by the Government of China, with the support of the United Nations and governmental, as well as non-governmental, organizations. The United Nations Department for Development Support and Management Services participated in the symposium as a co-organizer, along with the United Nations Development Programme, the European Union Commission, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and other organizations. The symposium opened under the chairmanship of Song Jian, State Councillor, and Minister of the State, Commission of Science and Technology of China, who emphasized the urgency of formulating collective actions within the countries and among the people of the region to further promote their economic and social development. He invited all interested organizations and individuals, including those outside the Eurasian continent, to participate in the challenging endeavour to countries for decades to come. Jin Yongjian, Under-Secretary-General for Development Support and Management Services, who joined the deliberations as a co-chairman of the symposium, called for the establishment of partnership and strengthened linkages among all the countries of the region in order to maximize their economic and social advancement and to foster sustainable economic growth within the context of powerful emerging geo-political and geo-economic trends. Mr. Jin also examined major macroeconomic policies, regional development, physical infrastructure development, foreign direct investment, legal and regulatory frameworks, trade and commerce, and special economic zones. He reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to the development of the countries along a new Euro-Asia continental bridge, and offer the assistance of the Organization, through the Department of Development Support and Management Services, in terms of technical cooperation and advisory services. Representatives of organizations supporting the symposium spoke on such topics as transportation and telecommunications, economic and trade cooperation, and sustainable development. Emphasis was placed on issues relating to the environment, population, social affairs, and poverty alleviation. * *** *