Shanghai summit will be the largest ever: FM

An upcoming Shanghai summit in May will be the largest ever in the history of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday.

"China is willing to work with CICA members to make the summit a landmark event," Wang told reporters at a joint press briefing with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after their talks in Beijing.

Nearly 40 countries and international organizations will send delegations to the summit, with 14 heads of state and heads of government and eight international organization chiefs confirming their presence, Wang said.

As chair for the CICA from 2014 to 2016, China's most important task is to hold a "productive" summit, under the theme of increasing dialogue, trust and collaboration to build a peaceful, stable and cooperative Asia, Wang said.

China hopes the summit will help build a new Asia of peace, stability and cooperation, according to Wang.

He applauded CICA as the largest multilateral security forum, covering different systems, religions, cultures and development stages.

CICA's greatest significance is that Asian countries realize the urgency and importance of security cooperation, he said.

"The call is that Asian countries should take the lead to resolve Asian affairs and achieve security by strengthening cooperation," Wang said.

"Asia is a region with diversity and dynamism, full of opportunities and potential for development. We have full confidence with its prospects, " Wang said.

He also noted there were historical grievances and issues, and regional security concerns in Asia.

CICA was established in 1993 as a forum for dialogue and consultations and promotion of confidence building measures among its members on security and development. It now has 20 member countries from East Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East.