The Message from Miyazaki Closing Plenary

Date: Wednesday, 12 March 1997

1. Mr. Chairman, Deputy Minister Yanai, ladies and gentlemen,
2. The Miyazaki Symposium has been co-sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Asia-Europe Foundation. The Gaimusho is the senior partner and ASEF is the junior partner. Deputy Minister Yanai has requested me to attempt to provide an overview of the Symposium in about 20 minutes.
   Although I have visited with and listened to the discussions in all 7 workshops, and although I have read the reports of the 7 chairpersons, I will probably fail to do justice to the symposium. I must therefore ask for your forgiveness in advance.
3. Let me begin by thanking the Governor and the citizens of Miyazaki for inviting the symposium to meet here. The environment is both beautiful and congenial. We have been happy here, except for the golfers among us. The golfers think that the organizers are sadistic people. Why else would they hold the symposium at a resort with such a beautiful golf course and not include time in our programme for a daily game of golf? After all, the golfers from Southeast Asia know that the best discussions at a meeting often take place on a golf course!
4. We must thank the Government of Japan and Prime Minister Hashimoto, in particular, for having taken the initiative to convene the first symposium of young leaders from Asia and Europe. As Prime Minister Carlsson pointed out in his keynote address, this symposium is important for three reasons. If one of our tasks is to build bridges from the 20th century to the 21st century, it is right to involve young bridge builders in the process, for it is they who will be leaders of the 21st century. Young leaders are likely to be more open-ended, more creative and more receptive to new ideas than older leaders. This symposium is not a one-shot affair. We have begun a process which will be continued next year in Austria and, most probably, in other ASEM countries, in the years to come.
5. For the last two days, 110 young leaders from Asia and Europe have met in Miyazaki. They come from 25 countries, in two continents, with a variety of backgrounds. Yet, almost instantly, they have developed a rapport with one another and the group has developed a club-like atmosphere. In the workshops and the brainstorming sessions, I observed that the young leaders engaged in frank and serious discussions but in a collegial atmosphere with the spirit of mutual respect and mutual learning. This is what the organizers had hoped for. If nothing else was achieved I would have said that the Miyazaki Symposium was a success because the process was a success. To modify a quote from Marshall McLuhan, "The process is the message." However, the young leaders have exceeded my expectations. They have arrived at many points of convergence and a set of conclusions and recommendations.
6. I will attempt to distill them into what I will call "The Message from Miyazaki." What is the message from Miyazaki?
7. First, the young leaders agreed with the observation by Dr. Han Sung-Joo, in his keynote address, that: "The first summit meeting between Asia and Europe, which took place in Bangkok just one year ago, was Europe's way of rediscovering Asia and acknowledging it as a partner in prosperity and peace. For Asia, ASEM represented its acceptance of these European gestures and recognition of Europe as a key pillar of Asian development and security."
8. Second, the young leaders also agreed with Dr. Han's point that ASEM is not and should not be viewed as being at the expense of Europe's trans-Atlantic ties or East Asia's trans-Pacific ties. On the contrary, ASEM is the third side of a triangle linking the three economic centers of the world economy, namely the United States, Western Europe and East Asia. The spirit of ASEM is the spirit of trilateralism.
9. Third, Asia and Europe are two regions with very rich cultures and civilizations. What is culture? Culture is a living force. It gives a human being his identity. It provides him with a frame of reference to relate to his family, his society, his natural environment and his god.
   Culture provides us with a moral compass to navigate the journey of life and the resilience to stand up to adversity. It would be desirable for the young people of Asia and Europe to learn each other's languages and cultures, to have the experience of studying and working in each other's regions, and of staying in each other's homes. Many modalities to do so were discussed. It was also agreed that we should use the fine arts, music, dance, theater, film, literature, painting, sculpture, photography, etc., to inspire and unite our peoples.
10. Fourth, we agree that economic development and the accumulation of wealth is not an end in itself. It is a means to improve the welfare of our peoples. It is to give our peoples a better life. In Europe this means, among other things, reducing unemployment. In Asia, it means the eradication of poverty and the increase of social and gender equity. In both regions, welfare also means the right to live in a clean and healthy environment.
    Economies in Asia and Europe both face the challenge of upgrading in order to achieve competitiveness. They must also manage the impact of globalization, which produces both winners and losers. What is the solution?
    One answer seems to be that we need to invest in education, training and productivity.
11. Fifth, we reaffirm our faith in and commitment to the ideal and practice of free trade. We agreed to support the WTO, to implement the results of the Singapore Ministerial Conference, and to strengthen its efficacy. We look forward to the early accession of China to the WTO. We agreed that regional integration and liberalization in Europe and Asia should be compatible with the WTO, and should result in the progressive lowering of external barriers.
    We agree with Dr. Carlsson when he said that turning inwards is not an option.
12. Sixth, we are impressed by the burst of energy and enthusiasm which the Bangkok Summit has unleashed. Apart from the summit, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Finance, and Trade have met or will be meeting. The private sector, represented by the Business Forum and the Business Conference have become an intrinsic part of the ASEM process. About 40 projects have been implemented or are being implemented. The process is evolving and organic.
    It is hoped that the Vision Group, which will be approved by ASEM II in London next year, will lead to a cooperation framework which will give the process a needed sense of coherence and structure. In the absence of an ASEM Secretariat, ASEF should consider playing the role of ASEM's clearing house.
13. Seventh, the role of the private sector, the partnership between the private sector and government, and the social responsibility of business were the subjects of a very rich discussion. It was agreed that international business should cooperate with the host government in training and upgrading the skills of the local work force. It was also agreed that business should work with government to achieve sustainable development. Governments in both regions should create a business environment which is conducive to foreign investment. Asian governments should do more to develop their capital markets.
14. Eighth, it was agreed that as we live in a interdependent world, it is not possible to separate the security of Europe from the security of Asia.
    Upheavals in one region, for example, Bosnia or Indochina, will have a direct impact on the other. Our organizing concept must be the concept of common security. Asians welcome the role which Europe is playing in the ASEAN Regional Forum. The ARF and other such multilateral fora are not intended to supplant but to complement existing bilateral defense arrangements and the central role which the U.S. plays in both Asia and Europe. Europeans welcome the role which some Asians, such as Yasushi Akashi in the former Yugoslavia, Han Sung-Joo in Cyprus, and myself in the Baltics have played in trying to resolve disputes and conflicts in Europe. We agree to cooperate to strengthen international institutions, such as the United Nations, and to combat threats to our common security posed by terrorism, weapons proliferation, international crime, the drug menace, the AIDS epidemic, etc.
15. Ninth, Asia and Europe must cooperate to harness the wonders of multimedia. We can use cyberspace to build bridges of information, knowledge and understanding between our net-citizens. We must, individually and collectively, create content, web sites, films, and television programmes.
    We should aspire to be not just consumers but also providers. ASEM and ASEF should use information technology as tools in their work.
16. Tenth, we agree with Dr. Carlsson that Asia and Europe cannot ignore the rest of the world. Shrunken by globalization, information technology, and jet travel, the world has become our neighborhood. Asia and Europe must therefore cooperate to maintain peace and order; to expand economic opportunities for peoples everywhere, especially in the least developed countries; to protect the global commons; and to protect the environment. In short, to build a better world.

Tommy Koh
Executive Director
ASEF
12 March 1997