The 33rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Informal Leaders' Meeting will be held in Shenzhen from November 18th to 19th. President Xi Jinping will chair the meeting and deliver a speech.
Since 2013, President Xi Jinping has attended or chaired all APEC informal leaders’ meetings and delivered important speeches, expounding on Asia-Pacific cooperation from a broad perspective, leading regional cooperation in the right direction with the responsibility of the times, and gathering consensus and strength to work together to create a better future for the Asia-Pacific.
This year is the third time that China has served as the host of APEC. "China is willing to take this opportunity to work with all parties to build an Asia-Pacific community and promote growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region." A year ago, at the APEC Leaders’ Informal Meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea, President Xi Jinping issued a solemn invitation to all parties in the Asia-Pacific.
The century-old changes in the world are accelerating, and the Asia-Pacific is also at a critical juncture of development. How should the Asia-Pacific weather the storm and continue its miracle of development and prosperity? At critical moments when the global and regional economies are facing tests, President Xi Jinping grasps the general trend of the times with a profound historical perspective, puts forward clear propositions and pragmatic initiatives time and time again, advocates the Asia-Pacific family to work together, and calibrates the course and injects determination into regional cooperation.
Let’s work together to build the Asia-Pacific community and gather strength to weather the storms——
"The Asia-Pacific is a space for our common development, and we are all sails moving forward in the sea of the Asia-Pacific." The reason why the Asia-Pacific can sail through the wind and waves time and time again does not rely on a single boat to sail forward, but on thousands of sails sailing together.
In 2013, faced with the challenge of weak global economic recovery, President Xi Jinping pointed out that "the interests of all economies in the Asia-Pacific are intertwined and share a common destiny. They all prosper and suffer." He advocated that the Asia-Pacific region should seek common development, adhere to open development, promote innovative development, seek interconnected development, and work with all parties to seek long-term development of the Asia-Pacific.
In 2022, under the impact of global industrial and supply chains and complex and severe issues such as inflation, food, and energy security, President Xi Jinping emphasized that "the Asia-Pacific is where we live and is the source of global economic growth," and advocated building an Asia-Pacific that is peaceful, stable, common prosperity, clean, beautiful, and supportive of each other.
In 2025, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation will develop in depth, with opportunities and challenges coexisting. President Xi Jinping proposed to "strengthen the empowerment of digital intelligence", "adhere to green and low carbon" and "implement inclusive and shared benefits" to promote the creation of a better tomorrow for sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific.
The tougher the storm, the more important it is to hold the rudder of cooperation together. The general recognition of the theme of China's conference by all parties confirms President Xi Jinping's profound conclusion: "Building an Asia-Pacific community is the only way to achieve long-term development and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, and it is also the common vision of all parties."
Promote common prosperity and benefit the people of the Asia-Pacific——
What is the purpose of building the Asia-Pacific community? China's answer has been consistent.
"We must adhere to APEC's original intention of promoting economic growth and improving people's well-being" and "adhere to development for the people, development by the people, and development results shared by the people, and promote the common prosperity of all people in the Asia-Pacific"... President Xi Jinping's series of important expositions have revealed the value and purpose of common prosperity in the Asia-Pacific.
The Asia-Pacific is the region with the most growth vitality and development potential in the world, but the development levels and resource endowments of each economy vary. To achieve inclusive development, we must base ourselves on the characteristics of the Asia-Pacific region and transform endowment differences into complementary and win-win cooperation potential.
"Adhere to mutually beneficial cooperation, give full play to each other's advantages, and promote common development" and "jointly make the pie of Asia-Pacific development bigger and jointly promote the prosperity of the Asia-Pacific"... President Xi Jinping has pointed out the path to promote common prosperity in the Asia-Pacific.
Since the launch of APEC's "Year of China", China has continued to translate the concept of inclusive benefits into practical actions. From capacity-building training for developing economies to building cooperation platforms for small and medium-sized enterprises, women's economic empowerment, and digital literacy improvement, we help all parties make up for development shortcomings, bridge the development gap, and share development results.
In November 2014, on the banks of Yanqi Lake, the APEC Beijing meeting left a profound "Chinese mark". After 12 years, APEC meets China again and gathers in Shenzhen. The construction of the Asia-Pacific community stands at a new historical starting point. People are full of hope that this grand event, with "openness, innovation, and cooperation" as its three priority areas, will further realize the vision of promoting common prosperity in the Asia-Pacific.
