Premier Li arrives at the Asia-Europe Meeting Summit

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Europe

01:52

The European Union sought to build support from Asia for free trade, the Iran nuclear deal and fighting global warming at a regional summit on Thursday that included China, Japan and Russia as a counterbalance to a more protectionist United States.

Leaders from the EU, Switzerland and Norway welcomed 21 Asian counterparts including Chinese Premier Li Keqiang after an EU summit dominated by negotiations over Britain's planned departure from the world's biggest trading bloc.

President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker (left) and European Council President Donald Tusk speak as they wait to welcome delegates to the ASEM leaders' summit in Brussels, Belgium, October 18, 2018. /Reuters Photo

The 51 gathered leaders were set to show "strong support" for the World Trade Organization that US President Donald Trump had threatened to quit, and express "profound alarm" about climate change, according to a draft communique.

When asked if the gathering was anti-Trump, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said "we don't organize meetings against anyone." But she called on a closer cooperation between Europe and Asia.

She said: "The very high level of the delegations, both on the European and on the Asian side, demonstrates how strategically important is this relationship. We are focusing very much on increasing our partnership with Asia, being it on connectivity, being it on security."

On Friday, the EU and Asian leaders – who represent 55 percent of global trade – will underline "their joint commitment to open, free and non-discriminatory trade" and "to fight all forms of protectionism," according to the draft communique.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (center), Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (left) and India's Vice President Venkaiah Naidu attend the ASEM leaders' summit in Brussels, Belgium, October 18, 2018. /Reuters Photo

Leaders will call on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to "completely, verifiably and irreversibly dismantle all its nuclear and weapons of mass destruction," the draft statement said.

Leaders will also re-commit to the 2015 Paris climate pact that also Trump pulled out of, pledging to develop more clean energy.

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters