各位来宾、各位朋友，女士们，先生们：

Distinguished Guests, Dear Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

　　我很高兴参加博鳌亚洲论坛首次年会。我愿意与大家共同探讨新世纪新亚洲区域合作与发展的问题。

      It gives me great pleasure to attend this First Annual Conference of Boao Forum for Asia. I would like to discuss with you issues concerning Asia's regional cooperation and development in the new century. 

　　亚洲是地球上最大的洲，聚居着世界60％的人口。资源十分丰富，历史源远流长，文化博大精深。上个世纪中 ，亚洲的巨变和崛起，谱写了亚洲发展的辉煌篇章，也成为人类社会进步的显著标志。展望新世纪，曾经拥有光辉灿烂历史的亚洲，必将创造出更加绚丽多彩的文明 。

      As the biggest continent on the earth, Asia takes up 60 percent of its population. It has abundant resources, long history and magnificent and exquisite cultures. With its stupendous changes and rise in the last century, Asia wrote a glorious chapter in the annals of its own development and left a brilliant hallmark on the advancement of human society. Looking into the new century, this great continent of many splendid ancient civilizations will surely embrace an even more colorful modern civilization. 

　　近年来，在亚洲国家共同努力下，包容、平等和渐进的地区合作意识日益增强，开放、健康和互利的合作局面正在形成。亚太经合组织不断发展，东亚区域合作方兴未艾，“上海合作组织”顺利运转。去年11月，我国与东盟国家一致同意今后10年内逐步建立中国－东盟自由贸易区，有关方面正就启动谈判进行接触。这些将为亚洲国家和地区扩大交流、深化合作，提供重要渠道和机制。但是，与欧洲和北美区域合作相比，亚洲区域合作相对落后。一段时间以来，许多方面对亚洲区域合作的发展方向提出不少独到见解。这里，我谈几点看法：

      In recent years, thanks to the joint efforts of Asian countries, there has been a growing awareness of regional cooperation featuring greater tolerance, equality and gradual progress while a situation of open, healthy and mutually beneficial cooperation is taking shape. APEC is making steady progress. The East Asia regional cooperation has gone ahead with full stream and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is functioning smoothly. Last November, China and the ASEAN members agreed to gradually build a China-ASEAN free trade area in the coming decade, and the various quarters are making contacts for an early launch of negotiations. These developments will provide important channels and mechanisms for wider exchanges and deeper cooperation among Asian countries and regions. However, compared with Europe and North America, Asia 's regional cooperation is still rather backward. We have of late heard quite some insightful views on the orientation of regional cooperation in Asia. Now, I would like to make a few observations.  

　　第一，以经济合作为重点，逐步拓展全方位合作。发展经济是亚洲各国的首要任务。从实际需要和实践看，可以把贸易、交通、农业、信息、能源作为优先合作领域，并逐步向其他领域扩展。

     First, we should take economic cooperation as the key focus and develop all-round cooperation in a step-by-step fashion. Economic development is the primary task of Asian countries. Given our real needs and experience, such areas as trade, communications, agriculture, information and energy can be made priority areas of cooperation which will be gradually enlarged to include other areas. 

　　第二，立足现有合作渠道，不断扩大合作范围。东亚、 南亚、西亚和中亚地理上相对独立，经济发展各有特色。从便利性和有效性看，应首先加强次区域合作，在此基础上，积极探索泛亚合作的途径。

     Second, we should build on existing channels of cooperation to steadily broaden the scope of cooperation. As East Asia, South Asia and Central Asia are relatively independent geographically and different in ways of achieving economic development, it would be more advisable just for the sake of convenience and effectiveness to reinforce sub-regional cooperation as the first step and, on the basis, to actively explore the ways of a pan-Asia cooperation.