DUSHANBE: Premier Wen Jiabao's just-concluded four-nation visit to Asian and European countries has helped bilateral ties and co-operation, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing told Xinhua News Agency on Saturday.

Wen, who attended three international meetings and nearly 80 bilateral and multilateral activities in eight days, mapped out a future development blueprint for Asia-Europe Meeting, the Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) and ties between China and other related countries, said Li, who accompanied Wen on the visit.

Wen visited Finland, Britain, Germany and Tajikistan, attended the ninth China-EU Summit and the sixth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in the Finnish capital of Helsinki, and participated in the fifth SCO prime ministers' meeting in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe.

Wen expounded China's ideal for peaceful development and building a harmonious world in the tour, and exchanged opinions with all sides on world situation and regional issues, Li said.

Focusing on long-term Sino-European ties, Wen proposed to draft a co-operative agreement of new Sino-European partnership and start negotiations immediately on related issues. The proposal, which was welcomed by the European side, would involve various fields such as politics, economy, science, technology, culture, education, sustainable development and other international issues.

The proposal would establish a legal framework for a long-term, healthy and stable Sino-European relationship, and make the relationship endure time, incidents and change of leadership.

Li said Wen had frankly addressed the concerns of European countries about China's path of development, trade imbalance between the two sides, protection of intellectual property, energy security, as well as democracy and human rights.

The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) was an important platform for promoting Asian-European co-operation. It was not only beneficial to both sides, but also to enhancement of multilateralism, Li said.

The sixth ASEM summit was held on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the ASEM mechanism. The gathering attracted leaders from 39 parties, including the 10 ASEAN members plus Japan, China and South Korea, the 25-member European Union and the Commission of the European Union.

Li said Wen spelt out China's stands on six major issues, including efforts to enhance multilateralism and deal with threats to security, globalization and competitiveness, energy, climate change, dialogue between different cultures and civilizations, as well as the future development of ASEM.

Li said the fifth prime ministers' meeting of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) focused on implementing the consensus reached by heads of state at the Shanghai summit in June, 2006 and deepening co-operation in various fields among SCO members.

Wen said China had set a goal to expand its trade with other SCO members from the current US$40 billion to US$80 billion, even US$100 billion, by 2010.

(China Daily 09/18/2006 page2)