Xi urges Asia-Pacific to stride toward community with shared future

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday urged the Asia-Pacific region to face up to the responsibility of the times, be in the driver's seat, and strive hard to meet the goal of building an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future.

Xi made the remarks while delivering a keynote speech at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit via video.

At present, COVID-19 is still ravaging the world, and the journey to global economic recovery remains a difficult and tortuous one, Xi said.

He urged the region to make all-out efforts to fight COVID-19. "At this trying time, it is all the more important that we should stay confident, keep a steady hand on the tiller, and forge ahead with determination," Xi said.

Xi called for openness and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. "We should all be broad-minded, follow the underlying trend of the times and proactively expand opening-up."

The Asia-Pacific region should "advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, keep industrial and supply chains stable and functioning, and promote the orderly flow of resources and inputs to boost economic recovery and achieve interconnected development," he said.

While urging the region to be forward-looking and move ahead, Xi said that the Asia-Pacific region cannot and should not relapse into the confrontation and division of the Cold War era.

In terms of green transition, he urged the region to follow the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and deliver on what was agreed upon in the Paris Agreement on climate change and at the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

"Working together, all of us can embark on a path of green, low-carbon and sustainable development," Xi said.

Talking about innovation, Xi called for efforts to speed up scientific and technological innovation and institutional innovation, promote the commercialization of scientific and technological advances, and foster new drivers of growth.

"We need to scale up cooperation between member economies of the Asia-Pacific on scientific and technological innovation, and foster an open, fair, equitable and non-discriminatory environment for the development of science and technology," Xi said.

China has attained the goal of fully building a moderately prosperous society within the set time frame, secured a historic success in eradicating absolute poverty, and embarked on a new journey toward fully building itself into a modern socialist country. "This will create greater opportunities for our region," Xi said.

He pledged that China will remain firm in advancing reform and opening-up so as to add impetus to economic development in the Asia-Pacific.

China is committed to building a high-standard market system and will work to make new progress in reforming important areas and key links. The country will pursue high-standard institutional opening-up, and continue to improve its business environment, Xi said.

The country will work to cement the foundation for long-term development of the Chinese economy and better support businesses from both the Asia-Pacific and the wider world in investing and operating in China, Xi said.

He stressed that China will advance green transition on all fronts and make its due contribution to boosting ecological conservation in the Asia-Pacific and beyond.

"China will strike a balance between low-carbon transition and ensuring the living needs of its people, and between development and carbon reduction, and will achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality within the time frame we set," Xi said.

He underscored that China will stay committed to promoting win-win cooperation and contribute to the economic development of the Asia-Pacific.

China will continue to practice true multilateralism, take an active part in global economic governance and promote the building of an open world economy, Xi added.

China will also inject impetus into economic recovery and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region, and strive to build a global community of development with a shared future, he noted.