Taipei, April 13 (CNA) Delegates from 10 major Asian cities assembled in Taipei Thursday for a two-day meeting, with the main theme of "Asia in Transformation," seeking to establish a network and deepen social and economic bonds and cooperation.
The fifth Plenary Meeting of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21) is taking place in Taipei, with Beijing and Yangon the only absentees among the 12 member cities of the 6-year-old international platform.
Beijing withdrew from the organization in 2004 after Taipei was selected as the host city for the 2006 plenary meeting. The 2005 plenary meeting, which was to be hosted by Beijing, never took place.
Major Asian cities should "work together and share the same vision to fight poverty and achieve peace and prosperity, " said Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou at the opening ceremony.
Asia has been undergoing mass changes since the 1950s and this is especially true in the 21st Century, Ma said, which is why the theme of this meeting is "Asia in Transformation."
Delegates from Bangkok, Delhi, Hanoi, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo are attending the meeting that was proposed by Tokyo Mayor Shintaro Ishihara in 2000.
In addition to discussions on joint projects that range from the environment, urban planning, education, women's development, health and disaster control between member cities, they will also work on an amendment of the ANMC21 Charter and determine the host city of the next meeting before signing the Taipei Declaration.
Meanwhile, an exhibition and cultural events of all participating cities will take place at Hall 2 of the Taipei World Trade Center from April 13-16.
Since its establishment in 2000, the ANMC21 has held its plenary meetings in different member cities -- Tokyo in 2001, Delhi in 2002, Hanoi in 2003 and Jakarta in 2004.