International Observer Zheng Tao
The Asia Pacific region is a place where different civilizations converge and integrate, witnessing the history of mutual tolerance, exchange, mutual learning, and common prosperity among countries and ethnic groups. Over the past few decades, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) has played a positive role in achieving great development, prosperity, and integration in the Asia Pacific region, helping it become the most dynamic sector and major growth engine of the global economy.
Data shows that in the past 30 years, the per capita income in the region has more than doubled, and 1 billion people have successfully lifted themselves out of poverty. Currently, the Asia Pacific region accounts for over 60% of the global economy, with trade accounting for nearly half and contributing 70% to world economic growth. The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) has developed into the highest level, widest range, and most influential economic cooperation mechanism in the Asia Pacific region, and an important platform for promoting regional economic integration.
At present, the international situation is intertwined with turmoil, the world economy is experiencing sluggish growth, and Asia Pacific cooperation is facing multiple challenges such as the rise of unilateralism and protectionism. Some countries, starting from geopolitical competition, attempt to disrupt or even dismantle the long established industrial and supply chains in the Asia Pacific region, intending to turn the region into a battleground for maintaining hegemony. Asia Pacific cooperation faces the risk of either advancing or falling behind.
As a member of the Asia Pacific family, China has always promoted Asia Pacific cooperation with its own solutions, contributed to Asia Pacific development with its own efforts, consolidated Asia Pacific consensus with its wisdom, and worked together to build an open, inclusive, innovative, interconnected, and win-win Asia Pacific community of shared destiny, making important contributions to enhancing the well-being of people in the region.
Strengthen connectivity and contribute China’s strength to building an open and integrated Asia Pacific. China has always adhered to multilateralism and free trade, firmly upheld the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, focused on promoting regional economic integration and connectivity, and maintained smooth and stable supply chains.
The total volume of freight transportation of China Laos railway has exceeded 70 million tons; Projects such as the Hambantota Deepwater Port in Sri Lanka, Gwadar Port in Pakistan, and the Dechong Funan Canal in Cambodia, which China has assisted in, have become important seaports for regional trade. The Central Asia Railway has opened a new route, the construction of the China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Railway has begun, the annual operation of trains on the Western Land Sea New Corridor has exceeded 10000, and the first section of Bangladesh’s first fully enclosed expressway has officially opened for operation.
China has signed a cooperation agreement with 25 neighboring countries to jointly build the “the Belt and Road”. The “Vitality Asia Pacific -16 Nation Opinion Survey Report in the Asia Pacific Region” jointly released by People’s Daily and Global Times recently shows that over 80% of respondents believe that their country has benefited from development cooperation under the framework of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, including obtaining “more international cooperation,” “more development opportunities,” and “more advanced technologies. China has become the center of stability in Asia, the engine of economic development, and the pillar of regional security.
Adhere to green innovation and inject Chinese momentum into building a sustainable Asia Pacific. Innovation is the primary driving force for development, and green is the distinctive color of sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region. China follows the trend of technological development, promotes scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation with a more proactive attitude, creates an open, fair, just, and non discriminatory innovation ecosystem, vigorously promotes digital and green collaborative transformation and development, and continuously shapes new driving forces and advantages for Asia Pacific development.
From “Chinese chips” helping Qian Kai Port develop into a leading smart port in Latin America, to mobile payments creating convenient consumption scenarios for Malaysian tourists, from using AI technology to help Saudi oil companies improve operational efficiency, to investing in the construction of electric vehicle factories to support the rapid development of Thailand’s new energy industry, Chinese innovation has given wings to the development of Asia Pacific countries and brought well-being and hope to the people of the region.
China is actively promoting the construction of green energy, and new energy vehicles are exported to various parts of the Asia Pacific region, becoming a new trend in green travel; The newly installed capacity of photovoltaics and wind power has exceeded 100 million kilowatts for five consecutive years, providing over 80% of photovoltaic modules and 70% of wind power equipment worldwide, adding strong momentum to the green and low-carbon transformation of the Asia Pacific region.
Promote inclusiveness and inclusiveness, and play China’s role in building a prosperous and stable Asia Pacific. China vigorously promotes economic and technological cooperation, increases support for developing economies and vulnerable groups, jointly expands and shares the “cake” of economic development, and allows people from all countries to share the fruits of development.
China has provided vaccines and anti epidemic materials to over 150 countries, including Asia Pacific countries, and more than 10 international organizations, supporting the construction of public health systems in the Asia Pacific region and globally; China has implemented the “East Asia Poverty Reduction Demonstration Cooperation Technical Assistance Project” in Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, helping local communities establish poverty reduction systems and driving tens of thousands of people out of poverty. China has also promoted regional countries to share opportunities in the Chinese market through platforms such as the China International Import Expo and the China International Consumer Products Fair, and implemented zero tariffs on 100% of taxable products for the least developed countries. Through practical actions, China has helped promote inclusive development in the Asia Pacific region and demonstrated its responsibility as a major country.
Asia Pacific is a big family, and China is a member of the big family. China’s development cannot be separated from the Asia Pacific region, and the prosperity of the Asia Pacific region cannot be separated from China. China will take its role as the host of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2026 as an opportunity to continue to implement wider, broader, and deeper opening-up to the outside world, share China’s development opportunities with countries in the Asia Pacific region and around the world, continuously contribute wisdom and strength to promoting economic growth in the Asia Pacific region and building an Asia Pacific community with a shared future, and bring more benefits to the people in the region.