Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing arrived in Kyoto Thursday evening for the seventh Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Foreign Ministers' Meeting (ASEM FMM 7) due to open here on Friday.

On the sidelines of the ASEM FMM 7, the Chinese foreign minister will also attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus China, Japan and South Korea (10+3) foreign ministers' meeting on Friday and chair the third meeting of the Tripartite Commission of China, Japan and South Korea on Saturday.

Under the theme of deepening Asia-Europe dialogue to face global challenges, the foreign ministers or their representatives of Asian and European countries will discuss multilateralism, sustainable development, cultural diversity and future of the ASEM and other issues.

Focus will also be on Asian consultations about a planned East Asia Summit and fence-mending efforts between Japan and China, as well as Japan and South Korea, through a series of talks planned on the sidelines of full sessions of the Asia-Europe Meeting.

The two-day meeting is also making preparations for the Sixth ASEM Summit Meeting to be held in Finland in 2006.

The ASEM was officially established in 1996 at the first summit in Bangkok, Thailand. It is an inter-regional forum which now consists of the 10 ASEAN members, China, Japan and South Korea and 25 European Union (EU) member countries and the European Commission (EC).

The main components of the ASEM process include political dialogue, security and the economy, education and culture (the so-called three pillars). In general, the process is considered by the parties involved to be a way of deepening the relations between Asia and Europe at all levels.

Source: Xinhua