By Tony Chang"Thanks to wise economic policies, South Korea has posted two consecutive quarters of positive growth. China's growth remains strong. Singapore and Vietnam posted strong economic growth in their recent quarterly report," Bush said in his keynote speech at the World Knowledge Forum.
"The Asian economies are going to be powerful engines of growth for the future. The U.S. and Europe are taking steps to get out of the economic difficulties that we're in and we hope they work," he said.
A recent report from the International Monetary Fund suggested that emerging Asian countries, in comparison to industrialized nations, will stage a swift recovery from the worst global downturn in more than a decade.
The IMF predicted that South Korea's gross domestic product (GDP) will grow 4.5 percent in 2014, the third-highest among 33 major advanced countries reviewed by the Washington-based lending organization.
The former president underscored that the center of the global economic stage has shifted "from the Atlantic to the Pacific."
"That's one reason why the decision to broaden the (consulting) group from the G-8 to the G-20 was an easy decision."
"It made imminent sense to make sure that China, South Korea, Indonesia and Australia were at the table when the world leaders came to discuss how best to resolve the economic crisis that we are in," Bush said.
On the North Korean nuclear issue, the former president said the six-party talks are "the best way" to bring peace on the Korean Peninsula, calling for involved parties to be united despite likely efforts by the North to undermine the multilateral framework.
"The president of North Korea will no doubt test the system, no doubt try to find weaknesses," said Bush, whose eight years in the White House were marked by on-and-off negotiations with Pyongyang to end the communist regime's nuclear development with other members of the six-party talks -- South Korea, China, Japan and Russia.
Bush was referring to Kim Jong-il, who is actually not the president of North Korea but assumes the country's top post as chairman of the National Defense Commission.
"I'm confident that the issue can be resolved peacefully, when China, Korea, Japan, Russia and the United States speak in one voice, to say that there is a better way forward," Bush said.
North Korea is boycotting the six-party negotiations in protest of U.N. sanctions for its nuclear and missile tests earlier this year, although Kim recently expressed his willingness to return to dialogue on the condition that expected bilateral talks with the U.S. produce results.
RELATED:
Bush urges unity to pressure NKorea on nukes
SEOUL — Former US president George W. Bush Wednesday urged nations negotiating with North Korea to stay united to pressure the communist state into abandoning its nuclear ambitions.
Bush told a Seoul forum that Pyongyang is undoubtedly testing the six-nation negotiating process and the other members must not give in.
"I believe that the best way to bring peace to the Korean peninsula is multilateral diplomacy through the six-party talks," Bush said in a keynote speech to the World Knowledge Forum.
"The president of North Korea will, no doubt, test the system, and, no doubt, try to find weaknesses," he said, referring to leader Kim Jong-Il who is not in fact president.
"I'm confident the issue can be resolved peacefully when China, (South) Korea, Japan, Russia and the United States speak with one voice to say that there is a better way forward."
Early in his term Bush took a hardline stance with the North and famously labelled it part of an "axis of evil" in 2002.
But the following year he agreed to the creation of the six-party forum, designed to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear programmes in exchange for economic aid and major security and diplomatic benefits.
The latest six-party talks last December ended in stalemate and the North quit the forum in April. But Bush reiterated his faith in it as the best approach.
North Korea said last week it was willing to return to the six-party process, but only if it can first make progress in separate bilateral talks with the United States.
