国际英语新闻：Global crisis gives impetus to Asian integration, says ADB

TASHKENT, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Regional integration of Asia, which could benefit the region and the entire world, has been provided with momentum thanks to Asia's fast recovery from the global economic downturn, governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and officials said Sunday.

ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda and eight ADB governors and ministers attended a seminar, "Asian Integration and Global Growth," held within the framework of an ADB annual meeting that opened Saturday in the Uzbek capital.

"Increasing interdependence across Asian economies offers a new platform for economic development -- one that is good for individual countries, good for the region, and good for the world," said Kuroda at the seminar.

Despite a quick recovery from the crisis, some defects of the Asian economy have been exposed, such as over-reliance on exports and the reliance on boosting domestic demand for economic growth, said attendants at the seminar.

In order to cushion Asia from future shocks and to bestow the region with a more united voice during the global financial architecture reform, they also said that more proactive measures on financial cooperation should be carried out.

To achieve a more united voice, the officials stressed the need for better coordination of exchange rate policies among Asian countries.