23/10/2008 (Agence Europe) - The seventh ASEM summit (Asia-Europe meeting) will open in Beijing, China, on Friday 24 October 2008 and Saturday 25 October, with no fewer than 25 members around the table (43 countries, the European Commission and the secretariat of the Association of South-East Asian countries). The meeting will be chaired by China and will cover international peace and stability, sustainable development, human rights, climate change, energy security, food security, trade and counter-terrorism. This informal forum is seen by Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the Council of the EU, and José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, as an opportunity to get their Asian counterparts to agree on the need for global reform of the world's financial system. (A.B./transl.fl)