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Opinion | Asem can help Asia and Europe forge a truly powerful partnership
- The foreign ministers’ meeting of the Asia-Europe Meeting, in Madrid this year, aims to create an environment conducive to rules-based multilateral cooperation on global issues, from climate change and sustainable trade to conflict resolution from the Korean peninsula to Rakhine state
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Why you can trust SCMP
The foreign ministers’ meeting of Asem that I chair might sound like a rather bureaucratic acronym, but is, actually, politically a highly relevant event for our continents.
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The Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) forum brings together 53 partners made up of the 28 European Union member states, Norway, Switzerland, the EU, 21 countries in Asia and the Asean secretariat. Together we represent 55 per cent of global trade, 60 per cent of global gross domestic product, 60 per cent of the global population and 75 per cent of global tourism.
Simply bringing countries together does not, of course, guarantee results. But it creates opportunities. In recent years, Asem has become more relevant and strategic, and this year’s meeting is an important opportunity to strengthen cooperation between Europe and Asia.
There is a clear willingness from Asem countries to engage on global issues and take on more responsibility – from supporting sustainable development and rules-based global trade, to sharing information on cross-border threats and preventing or resolving conflicts. Asem has acquired a new rationale and momentum as a key platform to uphold and promote rules-based, multilateral approaches. In today’s challenging world, this kind of cooperation and leadership is imperative.
In recent years, sustainable connectivity has been a key theme of our discussions – and will continue to be so. The same goes for combating climate change. Last week, we adopted the EU Green Deal and made the groundbreaking commitment to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. But our ambition must be global and we need collective action. To safeguard our planet and to promote sustainable development, cooperation with our Asian partners is key.
In addition, we cooperate on the most pressing issues on the international agenda: the situation on the Korean peninsula and in Rakhine state, the Middle East peace process, Iran and the wider region, and efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan – to name just a few. We also work on the need to uphold multilateralism, address security challenges, as well as promote gender equality and women empowerment.
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