Mr President, allow me to start by congratulating the Commission. The Commission's document, its view of EU-Asia relations, which is the topic of my report, is clear, coherent and shows understanding for the situation Asia is facing, and there is a desperate need for this. One of the flaws in the Europe-Asia relations is, in my view, the Council's minimalist approach to date, particularly by Foreign Affairs Ministers. An all-time low was, to my mind, our Ministers' paper-thin contribution to ASEM III in Seoul, which was in sharp contrast to the Commission's contribution over there. This is no longer acceptable. Anyone who has worked on this over the past year knows that firm and concrete steps need to be taken, for this is what Asia and Europe's challenges require. Steps that go beyond strong, economic cooperation – of which, I, incidentally, am greatly in favour – and that go beyond window dressing and the endless symbolism that is meant to be taken as policy. I am therefore pleased with the Commissioner's announcement that a South—East Asia strategy will be adopted soon, for that is indeed the missing piece in the jigsaw puzzle. I can easily illustrate the challenge we are facing in the area of human rights by quoting an example from everyday life. In October last year, I reported in this Parliament on the case of Mr Bin Vinh Trinh in Vietnam. Following a lengthy stay abroad, Mr Trinh had made investments in his own country. He was subsequently detained under false pretences and his possessions were seized. This was a tragic event for him and his family, but, above all, sent a very negative signal to possible investors in Vietnam. We are now a year on. Some progress has been made, but not anything like enough. Mr Trinh's possessions have still not been returned to him and those who falsely accused him have still not been brought to justice. The European Union is currently Vietnam's key donor, but a parallel focus on respecting human rights is lacking. This makes the policy incoherent and certainly lacking in one of the areas in which Europe always prides itself. Not without reason did the UN human rights committee recently report on a large number of human rights abuses in Vietnam. Other Asian countries, including Cambodia or North Korea, did not escape the UN committee's condemnation either. It would be impossible to list them all one by one, but I hope that the message is clear. The observation of human rights, including, for example, the protection of investors, cannot be seen in isolation from economic cooperation. They are both interdependent. Not only does the European Union consider itself to be the guardian of human rights, but also the supporter of democratisation processes and young democracies across the world. Across the world? Not quite, for surprisingly, there is a young democracy in Asia which should not count on any support, namely Taiwan. The way in which Europe and our Council treat this country is hypocritical. This is the only way I can describe it. Taiwan is a budding democracy with which we maintain sound economic ties. To give you an example: last year, President Chen Shui-bian was unable to receive his Liberal International Prize for Freedom, because he was refused a visa, whilst representatives of the People's Republic of China had a great time travelling across the entire Continent. We are all acquainted with the democratic content of the regime in Beijing. I can totally understand that Saddam Hussein and Robert Mugabe are refused visas, but surely it is very bizarre to bar an elected leader from a democratic country, who is on a private visit. Not one Member State wanted to grant the liberal-democratic guest a visa, and the Council showed its weakest side by not lifting a finger. I therefore warmly welcome the Commission's plans to open an office in Taipei. In fact, I do this for other Asian countries too. Commissioner, you asked for credit, well, here it is. Following the harsh words I have spoken about the Council, I should like to say to my good friend, Mr Haarder, that I was pleased with his comments about the preparations of ASEM IV. His words inspire confidence. A comprehensive and serious approach to ASEM IV was needed, and I hope that he will receive actual support within the Council for this. Economic cooperation – investments by SMEs spring to mind, but also political dialogue and exchanges – the Minister has quoted the entire list – are of major importance. By way of conclusion, it is not as if we were still living in the Rudyard Kipling's era, who observed: east is east and west is west, and never the twain shall meet. Democratic rule of law is central in Asia too. There is no Asian model, or, in fact, a European model. This is why I should like to finish off by reminding you of the words of a famous Asia expert, which he wrote some four years ago in his book on China and Hong Kong. He said “it is absurd to argue for the existence of any fundamental difference between the personal standards and moral principles of Asians on the one hand and Europeans and Americans on the other, for decency is decency, East and West”. These are wise words, Commissioner Patten, that have not lost any of their truth. (Applause)

Political group: ELDR