Hu calls for Asian security cooperation

BOAO, Apr 15 (AP): Chinese President Hu Jintao called Friday for Asian nations to better cooperate in security matters in a region increasingly beset by rival territorial claims - often involving China. Hu offered only vague ideas about a "new security concept," but his remarks appeared aimed at reassuring neighbors unsettled by Beijing's soaring economic growth and by its beefed-up military, which has been more assertive in staking China's territorial claims. "We need to seek common ground while shelving differences and enhance common security," Hu told participants at a regional gathering in southern China. "We should reject the Cold War mentality and zero-sum approach, and advocate a new security concept featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and coordination." Chinese leaders typically use the expression "Cold War mentality" to refer to perceptions of China as a threat, especially in the U.S. and the West. The remarks appeared significant in part because of the audience: the Boao Forum for Asia, which China bills as an Asian version of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss town of Davos. On the stage with Hu were representatives of major countries: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, South African President Jacob Zuma, South Korean Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. While Beijing formally disavows all military alliances, it has sought to boost trust through exchanges of visits and joint exercises with other armed forces in the region and further abroad.