BEIJING — Here we are together again, this time in Beijing, for the Asia-Europe Peoples’ Forum 7 (AEPF7). This is a follow-up to AEPF6 in Helsinki in 2006.

The last time I was in Beijing was 24 years ago. In 1984 our group was hosted by the Chinese government and we were toured around several major cities for two weeks. Most Chinese people were still wearing the standard green or blue Mao suits and Mao caps with the red star then. I still have those, but I didn’t bring them with me to wear here in chilly Beijing or I’d look stupid or get mistaken for a leftist “G&D” in a time warp.

Nongovernmental organizations and civil society organizations (CVOs) that are non-state and non-corporate from Asia and Europe are gathered here for this year’s forum theme, “For Social and Ecological Justice.” The AEPF is dedicated to increasing understanding and solidarity between the peoples of Asia and Europe and promoting harmony, peace and development of the two regions. But you bet, the hottest topic of discussion here is the 2008 financial crisis that is taking place alongside food, energy and ecological crises. Just as hot are free trade agreements (FTAs). I had to leave the workshop on FTAs to rush this column.

The AEPF usually precedes by a few days the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of heads of state. The AEPF aims to bring the people’s voices from the ground, so to speak, to the rulers of Asia and Europe. The ASEM would be to Asia and Europe as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is to the Asia-Pacific region and the United States. One of the AEPF aims is to create alternatives to ASEM’s “neoliberalist agenda.”

Created in 1996, the AEPF has had forums every two years that paralleled the ASEM summit. The last two were in Vietnam and Finland. The forums are meant to provide a venue for CVOs in Asia and Europe to discuss issues that affect their respective regions. (Not to confuse this with AEBF or Asia-Europe Business Forum.)

Asian and European CVOs have called for more civil society participation in ASEM, but this is not happening. These groups have had to make their own parallel gathering in order to call attention to issues on the ground. Coming out together in a big way calls the attention of world leaders and decision-makers. The Philippines has a good representation in the AEPF, composed of non-communist left mostly, and why not, since the Philippines is the NGO/civil society hub of Asia.

As a bi-regional network, the AEPF has indeed opened a new chapter in people-to-people relations and among CVOs in Asia and Europe. Socioeconomic and political experts from both regions have recognized the significance of intergovernmental relations and concerted responses to issues.

Besides strengthening linkages in these two regions, the AEPF made lobby visits to ASEM member countries to bring up the Asian financial crisis and call for an Asia Monetary Fund, European development cooperation and EU-Latin American regulation.

The AEPF had also done research on the impact of economic instruments such as the Investment Promotion Action Plan and the Trade Facilitation Action Plan developed by the ASEM.

There had been exchanges on privatization of water utilities in Asian cities and the involvement of European companies. The reconciliation process in the Korean peninsula and the security issues have also been discussed in the past.

The AEPF network has been expanded with the inclusion of Vietnamese groups and requests from Chinese groups for inclusion. Well, we’re in Beijing now.

The AEPF bewails the “narrow economic focus” of the ASEM process that results in the “severe marginalization” of key concerns such as human rights, equitable development, democratization and environmental protection. Government-civil society dialogue has yet to be concretized.

The AEPF sees EU-Asia relations to be in an interesting stage. Both are seeking positions in global trade and geo-political state of affairs. For EU, it is the inclusion of new countries, deepening integration and major constitutional issues.

In Asia, things continue to unfold. There is the restructuring of the labor market, migration, deregulation and privatization of public services. Asia also hopes to be a fully integrated region with the establishment of the East Asian Community modeled after the EU.

The question is: How united could East Asia be with its “patchwork of political discord, territorial conflict and economic equality”? Asia has much to learn from the EU experience.

The AEPF’s long-term goal is to establish itself as a leading forum for advancing a critical understanding of Asia-Europe relations through research excellence, policy formulation and campaigning. “Critical mass” is important if it is to sustain its interregional connectivity, expertise and collaboration. It hopes “to develop into a hub of networks with genuine national and international significance leading to multilateralism from below.”

The AEPF’s target groups from below are trade unions, peasants’ and farmers’ organizations, food sovereignty networks, environmental movements, human rights and development groups, women’s movements, indigenous peoples’ movements, peace movements, debt and trade justice campaigns, academics and students. Throw in the media, parliamentarians, policymakers in government, and ASEM-related institutions. It’s a very potent brew.

Among the topics being discussed in this year’s forum are migrant labor, antiterrorism policies, alternative energy policies, religious fundamentalism, climate change, arms trade, local governance, HIV/AIDS, the disabled, millennium development goals, intercultural dialogue so many more. I have a difficult time choosing where I should be.

Deliberations, discussions and debates are still going on among the stakeholders. I am waiting for the resolutions and the action plans.

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