“ASEF projects initiate the human connectivity between Asia and Europe”, emphasised Ambassador ZHANG during the conference Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM): A partnership for the 21st Century, which took place on 8 July 2014 in Brussels, Belgium.
The conference, co-organised by the Brussels-based think-tank Friends of Europe and the European External Action Service (EEAS), invited representatives from the government, business, media, international organisations and NGOs to share their views and expectations on ASEM and assessed the relevance of Asia-Europe cooperation in the fields of politics, economy, security and socio-cultural issues.
Together with Ambassador ZHANG, the other speakers on the panel “Putting the spotlight on people” included H.E. Androulla VASSILIOU, EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Ms Sanda LIEPINA, State Secretary at the Ministry of Education and Science of Latvia, as well as representatives from the government, media and civil society.
The panellists discussed the importance of civil society actors, particularly in the areas of education and culture. They also highlighted ASEM’s achievements in promoting people-to-people contacts to strengthen cultural links between the two continents.