The 29th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting is scheduled to be held in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, from November 18 to 19. The meeting will focus on development, cooperation and the construction of the Asia Pacific Free Trade Area. This meeting is the first offline gathering of APEC leaders in four years and is of special significance.
At present, the Asia Pacific economies are facing many common challenges, such as the COVID-19, high inflation, tightening of the global financial environment, geopolitical tensions, and climate change. All parties look forward to building consensus through the APEC platform, deepening cooperation, promoting economic recovery, promoting regional economic integration, and injecting new impetus into the economic development of the Asia Pacific and even the world.
Opening up is the lifeblood of Asia Pacific cooperation. In an exclusive interview with reporters from Xinhua News Agency, President of APEC Business Advisory Council Jianggai Tiannukul said that the total population of APEC members exceeded one third of the world and contributed about 60% of the world's GDP. "If every economy can cooperate in trade, it will produce huge economic benefits and energy".
The theme of this year's conference is "openness, connectivity and balance". In this regard, Jiang Gai said that the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic and geopolitical tensions persist. APEC economies should adhere to the principles of openness and inclusiveness, avoid political interference, and promote free trade and connectivity, including digital infrastructure.
Promoting the construction agenda of the Asia Pacific Free Trade Area has also attracted much attention. In 2022, the Chairman of the APEC Senior Officials' Meeting, Thani Tompadi, said that APEC members are an important engine of the world economy, and the construction of the Asia Pacific Free Trade Area will bring significant benefits to all economies.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic has hit the world economy hard, and has also had a negative impact on achieving the goal of sustainable development. While dealing with the epidemic, how to take the opportunity of "restarting" the economy to build a more resilient and sustainable future is the common aspiration of all parties, including APEC members, and requires joint efforts.
"The epidemic situation makes us pay more attention to digital transformation, and also shows us the important role of digitalization in promoting trade facilitation." Rebecca Maria, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, said.
APEC is an important platform for economic cooperation in the Asia Pacific region. Since China joined the organization 31 years ago, it has always advocated open regionalism and played a positive role in building an open world economy, supporting the multilateral trading system and leading economic globalization. China has repeatedly elaborated on the concept of jointly building an Asia Pacific community of shared future featuring openness, inclusiveness, innovative growth, connectivity and win-win cooperation. In the face of various complex challenges, all parties generally expect China's plan to inject new impetus into cooperation and economic development in the Asia Pacific region.
In the opinion of Xu Qingqi, Chairman of Malaysia's New Asian Strategic Research Center, China has successfully eliminated absolute poverty, providing valuable experience for developing countries and regions; As a leader in renewable energy, China can help other developing countries and regions transform to clean energy and make great contributions to mitigating the impact of global climate change.