CHINESE Premier Zhu Rongji Monday called on governments in Asia and the European Union (EU) to promote political consultation and expand economic and trade cooperation to ensure peace, stability and development in the two regions.

　　He made the appeal in a speech delivered at the fourth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit in Copenhagen, Denmark.

　　The ASEM is an instrument of informal dialogue, including China, Japan, South Korea, seven members of the Association of South East Asian Nations and the 15 EU nations.

　　Zhu urged efforts to expand inter-regional economic and trade cooperation, proposing to further free trade, increase cooperation among small and medium-sized enterprises, strengthen hi-tech cooperation and carry out joint research projects in such frontier fields as IT, biotechnology and renewable energies.

　　The summit issued a statement saying that the fight against terrorism "must be based on the principles of the U.N. Charter and basic norms of international law."