Country well-placed for a responsible role in APEC

Editor's note: The 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in Gyeongju, the Republic of Korea, this week. In the past 30 years, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation has evolved into an influential mechanism for economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. People's Daily Overseas Edition spoke to Xu Liping, a researcher at the National Institute of International Strategy of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Zhang Jingjia, an associate researcher of the APEC Study Center of Nankai University, about China's role within APEC and the key issues to be discussed at the upcoming meeting. Below are excerpts from the interviews. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

China's trade with APEC members, which has long been an important part of its foreign trade, now exhibits three new characteristics. First, the potential for cooperation continues to be unleashed. Economic and trade collaboration has deepened and expanded, unlocking new opportunities. Second, in addition to traditional labor-intensive products, China's exports to APEC members have seen a significant increase in high-tech and high value-added goods. Third, China has been steadily expanding institutional opening-up. Beyond the trade in goods, the level of openness in services trade between China and APEC members has also increased.

Over the years, China has consistently articulated its position on major issues such as Asia-Pacific regional cooperation and the future development of APEC, promoting mutual trust, inclusiveness, cooperation and shared benefits. It has been an active advocate for building an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community. These efforts have injected strong impetus into APEC's pursuit of regional economic cooperation and the implementation of the Putrajaya Vision 2040.

One of China's major contributions to APEC is the promotion of synergy among bilateral and multilateral cooperation frameworks. Some APEC members are also part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the Belt and Road Initiative. These mechanisms have led to cumulative gains in regional trade and cooperation, creating a "1+1>2" model of economic synergy.

In recent years, China has also worked closely with related parties to address the development needs of emerging economies in APEC, especially in infrastructure, green growth and innovation. By sharing its experience and proposing practical cooperation initiatives, China has contributed tangible benefits to people across the Asia-Pacific region. Through APEC working groups and cooperation among government, industry and academia, many of these initiatives have built projects that are improving people's lives.

The ROK set three priorities for the APEC meeting under the theme "Building a Sustainable Tomorrow", which are "Connect, Innovate, Prosper". The first, "connect", has profound significance. At a time when global supply chains are being disrupted and there is a trend toward decoupling and fragmentation, "connect" reflects the collective aspiration for connection and cooperation. "Innovate" and "prosper" also resonate with APEC members' shared aspirations for development and prosperity.

APEC is currently going through transformation and reform. In the future, cooperation in areas such as the digital economy, green development, cultural exchange and capacity building will become increasingly important. In many of these areas, especially the digital economy and green development, China has extensive experience, clear advantages and solid achievements, which put it in a position to establish deeper and broader cooperation with other regional economies through the APEC platform.

The APEC meeting will discuss a wide range of topics, including artificial intelligence, the digital economy and the aging population. China is well-positioned to play an active and responsible role in these discussions. As a major economy in the Asia-Pacific, China will continue to promote deepening regional cooperation by giving full play to APEC and advancing its own high-standard opening-up and innovation-led development.