(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-07 06:21

APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) economic leaders are gathering in Sydney, Australia today and tomorrow to exchange views and seek consensus on "strengthening our community and building a sustainable future".

There is no need for the host country to remind the participants that the most influential forum for economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region started 18 years ago in its capital, Canberra. In the next few years, the community set itself the goals of building a prosperous Asia-Pacific through free and open trade and investment.

Since then, the Asia-Pacific community has witnessed steady economic growth and social changes even though its member economies have had to sustain twists and turns, such as the Asia financial crisis, the 9/11 terror strikes and the Indian Ocean tsunami.

Today, the 21 APEC member economies collectively account for more than half of the world's total GDP and nearly half of total world trade.

Since its participation in 1991, China has benefited from the multilateral economic cooperation that the regional organization has to offer. With its help, China is able to join the world market competition, establish and enhance its own market economy and keep itself abreast of scientific and technological renovations in the world.

Meanwhile, China has also become one of the major driving forces to help maintain the regional economic growth momentum and expand further mutual assistance.

Today, the community and the world face a plethora of challenges. Climate change and developmental pressure for more energy and natural resources force the people to re-examine their growth models. Problems such as growing protectionism have also been arising from unbalanced economic and trade globalization.

All these issues of the regional and global concerns require the leaders to put their wisdom and ideas together. It is imperative that the economies open more cooperative channels and expand their consensus within the APEC member economies to work toward eliminating trade protectionism, establishing a healthier multilateral trade system, stabilize global energy supplies and try to achieve a relatively sound ecological environment.

Only cooperation and joint efforts will help resolve the problems.

(China Daily 09/07/2007 page9)