Beijing - Great potential is offered for European Union business investment in China's Sichuan province, parts of which were devastated by last May's earthquake, EU officials said Sunday.

"We want to give a sign that the situation is not just difficult, but that there are business opportunities there too," EU Chamber of Commerce President Joerg Wuttke said.

He was speaking during a conference of some 200 business people and officials attending a trade fair in Chengdu.

The area of the city and of nearby Chongding were home to 120 million people presenting "huge potential purchasing power", Wuttke said.

Beijing, Oct 25 : The Asia-Europe Summit has concluded here with a call to the Asian and European nations to safeguard international financial stability and promote world economic growth.

The two-day Summit of the 45 members Group, made a fervent appeal for a joint global action to respond to the financial crisis.

Beijing, Oct 25 : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said that development has to be inclusive, at his maiden speech at the 7th Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM), in Beijing on Saturday.

Describing sustainable development as one of the biggest challenges of present times, Dr. Singh said a lot of cooperative work is needed to transform it from a mere buzz word to an operational strategy for development.

He said, Asia is home to the largest concentration of the world''s poor and poverty eradication at this scale requires a collaborative global effort to promote development and in particular to create job opportunities.

Beijing - Asian and European Union leaders on Saturday committed their 43 nations to agreeing new goals on climate change by the end of next year.

The 16 Asian and 27 EU leaders issued a joint statement saying they planned to finalize a post-Kyoto Protocol deal on climate change goals to 2012 at talks in Copenhagen scheduled for December 2009.

New targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions would build on the December 2007 climate change conference in Bali, Indonesia, they said, calling on developed nations to show "strong leadership".

Beijing  - Asian and European Union leaders on Saturday called for the international community to act quickly and decisively at a conference on responses to the global financial crisis next month in Washington.

"We have all understood that it would not be possible simply to meet and have a conversation," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said of the planned summit on the crisis on November 15.

Beijing, Oct 25 : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today called on German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the seventh two-day Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Beijing.

Diplomats say that the two exchanged views on issues ranging from bilateral ties to global financial turmoil.

Dr. Singh is also scheduled to call on Chinese President Hu Jintao.

The Prime Minister also had separate meeting with the leaders from across Europe and Asia who have descended on Beijing''s Great Hall of the People on Friday for the ASEM.