Sharing the Responsibility of Our Times, Promoting Development in the Asia-Pacific Region — Speech at the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (Lima, Month and Year)

President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping

Dear President Boluarte, esteemed colleagues:

I am delighted to return to the beautiful "Garden City" of Lima after many years, to join you in discussing the future of cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. I would like to express my gratitude to President Boluarte and the Peruvian government for the thoughtful arrangements made for this meeting.

For decades, APEC has driven the great development, prosperity, and integration of the Asia-Pacific region, propelling it to become the most dynamic economic sector and a major growth engine globally. Currently, the world is undergoing an accelerated evolution of its century-long transformation, with weakening global economic growth and a continuous decline in the world's openness index. The Asia-Pacific cooperation is also facing challenges such as rising geopolitical tensions, unilateralism, and protectionism. Standing at a historical crossroads, countries in the Asia-Pacific region bear greater responsibilities. We must unite and collaborate, take bold actions, fully implement the Putrajaya Vision, promote the building of a community with a shared future for the Asia-Pacific, and strive to usher in a new era of development for the Asia-Pacific.

To this end, I would like to propose the following suggestions.

First, we will build an open and integrated Asia-Pacific cooperation framework. We must adhere to the multilateralism and the direction of open economy, steadfastly uphold the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, fully leverage the role of APEC as a "hatchery" for global economic and trade rules, focus on advancing regional economic integration and interconnectivity, dismantle the walls that fragment trade, investment, technology, and service flows, maintain the stability and smooth operation of industrial and supply chains, and promote the economic circulation of the Asia-Pacific and the world. The construction of the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area is a grand vision for regional economic integration, which is crucial for the long-term development and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific. Years ago, the APEC Beijing Meeting made the historic decision to launch the process of the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area. Today, we will introduce new guiding documents for the construction of the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area, which we believe will inject new momentum into promoting the open economic development of the Asia-Pacific.

Opening is a distinctive hallmark of China's modernization. China adheres to reform through opening up, actively aligns with high-standard international economic and trade rules, and expands independent opening up. It will promote the orderly expansion of opening up in fields such as telecommunications, the internet, education, culture, and healthcare. The Chinese government is committed to high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), actively pushes for accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), has signed the upgrade protocol of the China-Peru Free Trade Agreement, and has effectively concluded the upgrade negotiations of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. It is willing to explore and negotiate digital and green trade agreements with relevant parties, continuously expanding a network of high-standard free trade zones globally.

Second, foster the green innovation-driven growth momentum in the Asia-Pacific. We must seize the opportunities presented by the new round of scientific and technological revolutions and industrial transformations, strengthen exchanges and cooperation in frontier fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum information, and life sciences, create an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory innovation ecosystem, and drive the leap in productivity in the Asia-Pacific region. We must adhere to prioritizing ecology, conserving resources, and developing in a green and low-carbon manner, promoting comprehensive green transformation in economic and social development, and building a clean and beautiful Asia-Pacific. Efforts should be made to drive the coordinated transformation and development of digitalization and greenization, shaping new strengths and advantages for Asia-Pacific development. China is developing new high-quality productive forces tailored to local conditions and deepening green innovation cooperation with all parties. The Chinese side will release the "Global Data Cross-Border Flow Cooperation Initiative" and is willing to deepen cooperation with all parties to jointly promote efficient, convenient, and secure data cross-border flows. China has proposed initiatives within the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) such as digitalizing trade documents, building green supply chain capabilities, dialogues on artificial intelligence, and digitalizing the food industry, contributing to high-quality development in the Asia-Pacific.

Third, we must firmly establish the development concept of inclusiveness and universal benefit in the Asia-Pacific region. We should make good use of the APEC platform to strengthen economic and technological cooperation, increase support for developing economies and vulnerable groups, jointly expand and share the "cake" of economic development, so that more economies and more people can share the fruits of development. This year, Peru has actively promoted cooperation in transforming the informal economy into formal and global economic participation, which aligns highly with China's development philosophy centered on people, promoting social equity and justice, and enhancing the well-being of the people. China welcomes this. China will advance initiatives within APEC to increase residents' income and promote the cluster development of small and medium-sized enterprises, contributing to the inclusive and beneficial development of the Asia-Pacific economy. China will serve as the host of the APEC year and looks forward to deepening cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region with all parties to benefit the people of the Asia-Pacific.

Dear Colleagues!

The reform and opening-up is a historical process of common development and progress for China and the world. A few months ago, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made systematic arrangements for further comprehensively deepening reforms and advancing the modernization of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The session proposed a series of important reform measures, systematically laying out strategies in various fields such as building a high-level socialist market economy system, promoting high-quality economic development, expanding high-level opening-up, improving the quality of life for the people, and constructing a beautiful China. China's development will provide more new opportunities for the development of the Asia-Pacific region and the world.

The ancient Chinese saying goes, "To stand oneself, one must help others stand; to achieve oneself, one must help others achieve." There is also a Latin American proverb that says, "Only by benefiting the world can one benefit one's own country." China welcomes all parties to continue riding the fast train of China's development, working together with China's economy to achieve common development, and striving together for the modernization of countries around the world that is characterized by peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and shared prosperity.

Thank you, everyone.