In speech at summit, president stresses importance of peace and stability, stronger trade links

President Xi addresses the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting on Nov 18. (DING HAITAO AND JU PENG / XINHUA)

President Xi Jinping on Nov 18 highlighted the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific amid the speedy evolution of the international situation, and called for deepening the regional partnership featuring mutual trust, inclusiveness and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Xi made the remarks while addressing the two-day 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand, under the theme of “Open, Connect and Balance”. Thailand, as host of this year’s meeting, is working to ensure that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, with 21 member economies across the region, achieves more balanced, resilient and sustainable growth.

In remarks he made separately on Nov 19, the second day of the meeting, Xi called for upholding true multilateralism and defending the multilateral trading system to bolster free and open trade and investment.

The second day’s session focused on discussions over sustainable trade and investment. The 2022 APEC Economic Leaders’ Declaration and the Bangkok Goals on Bio-Circular-Green Economy were issued at the gathering.

Xi’s call for building an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future can help advance regional cooperation among member economies of the APEC forum, experts said. Economies of the region must join hands to take Asia-Pacific cooperation to new heights, Xi said on Nov 18.

“President Xi simply wanted to emphasize the intention of China wishing to see more expansion of sincere and tangible cooperation among APEC members,” said Korn Dabbaransi, former Thai deputy prime minister and chairman of the Thai-Chinese Friendship Association.

Korn said the APEC region can be the model for better living standards for people in other parts of the world.

During that speech on Nov 18, Xi attributed the decades of the region’s rapid growth to a peaceful and stable environment. “Today the world has come to another historical crossroads, and this has made the Asia-Pacific region even more important and prominent in its standing and role,” he said.

He underlined the need to uphold the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.

“No one should interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, and everyone should respect the development path and social system chosen independently by the people of each country. We should take seriously the legitimate security concerns of every country, and promote peaceful settlement of differences and disputes among countries through dialogue and consultation,” he said.

Xi called on the member economies to take an active part in global governance and make the international order more just and reasonable to ensure peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

While underscoring the need to adhere to openness and inclusiveness to bring about prosperity for all in the Asia-Pacific, Xi called for pursuing open regionalism, strengthening coordination on macroeconomic policies as well as forging more closely linked regional industrial and supply chains.

Efforts should be made to promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and steadily advance regional economic integration for the early realization of a high-standard Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, he said.

“China will work with other parties on the full and high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and continue working toward joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, for the purpose of promoting integrated development of the region,” Xi said.

China will also consider holding the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation next year to provide fresh impetus for the development and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific and the world, he said.

Earlier, in a written speech delivered at the APEC CEO Summit on Nov 17, also in Bangkok, Xi said the Asia-Pacific region is no one’s backyard and should not become an arena for big power contests.

“We need to build an Asia-Pacific security architecture to create conditions for ensuring economic development and durable peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific,” he said.

Xi urged the promotion of higher-standard connectivity. “Unilateralism and protectionism should be rejected by all; any attempt to politicize and weaponize economic and trade relations should also be rejected by all,” he said.

In his speech on Nov 18, Xi stressed the importance of strengthening solidarity and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region under the new circumstances.

“We need to view Asia-Pacific cooperation from a strategic and long-term perspective, uphold APEC’s role as the main channel in regional cooperation and keep Asia-Pacific cooperation on the right track,” he said.

Xi stressed the importance of protecting the ecological environment and tackling climate change, and called on regional economies to join the China-proposed Global Development Initiative.

He also reiterated China’s commitment to high-level opening-up.

Xi’s ideas on regional development are crucial in building APEC’s less-developed regions, said Kim Heung-chong, president of the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, a policy research institute in Seoul.

“More advanced countries including the Republic of Korea will join in accelerating regional development in the APEC region,” said Kim, noting that Xi’s promotion of openness and inclusiveness for Asia-Pacific economic cooperation can also contribute to strengthening the ROK’s policy initiatives.

Korn, the former Thai deputy prime minister, said China has been a model for poverty eradication, and the Belt and Road Initiative will “reach out to the rest of the world with a belt of peace and road to prosperity”.

Noting that Thailand is a developing country with an extraordinary relationship with China, Korn said joint programs between the two countries can be replicated and applied in other developing economies.

Surasit Thanadtang, director of the Thai-Chinese Strategic Research Center under the National Research Council of Thailand, said Xi’s speech will contribute to regional economic integration and deeper cooperation.

Surasit said that regional openness and inclusiveness can be boosted through the cooperation between China and Thailand, especially in areas such as railways and free trade.

China’s foreign policy is still very open and the two countries can focus more on the bio-circular-green economy model that Thailand introduced to promote the transition to sustainable development, Surasit said.

Xi said at the second day’s session, that free and open trade and investment are among the purposes and principles of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

It is also an important pillar in the realization of the Putrajaya Vision 2040, he said. The vision was endorsed by APEC leaders in 2020 with an aim to build an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community by 2040, for the prosperity of all the people and future generations in the region.

Xi called for upholding multilateralism and said more should be done to safeguard the rules-based multilateral trading system, keep global industrial and supply chains secure and stable, and foster an open, fair and nondiscriminatory trade and investment environment.

He underlined the importance of promoting inclusive development, saying efforts should be made to build a regional economic cooperation architecture featuring equal consultation, joint participation and shared benefits, and to foster a big Asia-Pacific market that is beneficial to all, so all economies grow together through interconnected development and carry out win-win cooperation.

China has put forward initiatives on revitalizing rural areas, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises that use special and sophisticated technologies to produce novel and unique products, and advancing economic inclusion through trade and investment, Xi said. They are aimed at spreading the dividends of development and innovation among more people and facilitating the inclusive and sustainable development of all in the Asia-Pacific, he added.

Xi also stressed upholding open regional cooperation for the prosperity of the Asia-Pacific, saying it is important to take greater initiative to open up and raise the level of regional economic cooperation in all respects.

“China will not waver in its commitment to high-standard opening-up. China will open its door still wider,” he said, adding that the fifth China International Import Expo (held from Nov 5 to 10) was another demonstration of China’s firm resolve to support free and open trade, and to open its market to the world.

China will do more to import quality goods and services, and create more market growth and cooperation opportunities for the world, he said.

Contact the writers at caodesheng@chinadaily.com.cn