China hosts Asia security group’s talks on building regional influence
- CICA experts and officials meet in Shanghai to move forward on pledge to transform the grouping into an international organisation
- Speakers urge unity among the 28 member countries on issues affecting the region, including Afghanistan
Experts and former officials from the 28-member Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) were in China to discuss their vision for Asia’s security during a turbulent time in world affairs.
CICA’s members include countries from Southeast Asia and the Middle East, as well as China and Russia, and account for more than 50 per cent of the world’s GDP, as well as two-thirds of global growth.
The grouping was established in 1992, in response to a Kazakhstan proposal for a security-based platform in Asia, comparable to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
This week’s forum, hosted by the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS), acknowledged the multiple challenges facing the region, from the economy and energy, to national and food security, as well as climate change in its Thursday session.