On October 23, 2008, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and China Postal Group (CPG) jointly held the first-day issue ceremony of the commemorative stamps for the Seventh Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM7) in Raffles Beijing Hotel. Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Jieyi and General Manager Liu Andong of China Postal Group attended and addressed the ceremony, which was attended by a total of nearly 300 representatives including ASEM senior officials and representatives coming to attend ASEM7, representatives of the postal sector and philatelists. Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Jieyi said in his speech that the issue of commemorative stamps for ASEM7 will help the people of Asia, Europe and the world to better know and understand the Asia-Europe Meeting. The stamps are more than an embodiment of this grand event. They also bear the expectations of the Chinese people for Asia-Europe cooperation and world peace.