Special report: Premier Wen visits Asia, Europe

    DUSHANBE, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao proposed here on Friday that members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) should further facilitate economic cooperation by coordinating legislation and policy making, improving infrastructure and guaranteeing investments.

    Addressing the fifth meeting of SCO prime ministers, Wen said the regional group "had established multilevel mechanisms and channels for cooperation over the past several years."

    However, he also acknowledged that factors such as the discrepancies in different member's legislation, and the unsatisfactory conditions of infrastructure capital supply had hampered economic exchanges.

    "I propose that (SCO members) should strengthen coordination in legislation and policy making to create favorable conditions for trade and investment," Wen said.

    Describing unified, transparent and fair rules for trade and investment as the basic requirements for regional economic cooperation, the premier encouraged SCO members to carry out inter-parliamentary exchanges to improve coordination on legislation in the economic field.

    On infrastructure building, Wen proposed that SCO members promote the construction of road transportation networks and information super highway projects.

    The region "should make use of its geographical advantage as the link between Asia and Europe for the development of cross-border transportation, and to connect telecommunication networks so as to create convenient channels for logistics and information flow." Wen said.

    He also urged the members to work cooperatively in the energy sector, both within the SCO and with neighboring states.

    The Chinese premier additionally proposed that the governments of SCO members increase investments for regional economic cooperation. He said that the members should also seek resources from outside the SCO and step up cooperation with international financial institutions such as the Asian Development Bank.

    Wen arrived here Thursday night to start his two-day official visit to Tajikistan and to attend the fifth meeting of the SCO's prime ministers, after visiting Finland, Britain and Germany.

    The SCO groups China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, with Pakistan, Mongolia, Iran and India holding observer status. Enditem