Under the bright lights of the APEC meeting in Peru, China and other Asia-Pacific countries worked hand in hand to paint a magnificent picture of mutual assistance. This is not only a feast of economic cooperation, but also a symphony of friendship and dreams, just as the ancient poem says: “Mountains and rivers are different, but the wind and moon are the same.” In this ancient and vibrant land, China has interpreted the deep friendship of “a bosom friend is a friend indeed”.
From proposing the establishment of a sense of community with a shared future in the Asia-Pacific, to advocating the building of an Asia-Pacific partnership of mutual trust, inclusiveness, cooperation and win-win results, from depicting the Asia-Pacific dream, to drawing up a blueprint for all-round connectivity, to maintaining the smooth flow of the global supply chain and industrial chain… Since 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping has attended or presided over all APEC Leaders’ Informal Meetings, proposing to uphold the original intention of Asia-Pacific cooperation, respond to the call of the times, and work together to meet global challenges.
China is an advocate of Asia-Pacific regional cooperation and a practitioner of win-win cooperation. Over the years, the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway has ushered Indonesia into the “high-speed railway era”, the China-Laos railway has helped Laos realize its dream of transforming from a landlocked country to a land-linked country, the floating photovoltaic project has helped Thailand move towards a low-carbon society, and the soon-to-be-built Peruvian Port of Chancay will become a new hub port in Latin America and a gateway port to the Pacific… China insists on inclusive sharing and works with Asia-Pacific partners for common development.
China has always insisted on promoting unimpeded trade. At present, China is the largest trading partner of 13 APEC economies, contributing 64.2% to the economic growth of the Asia-Pacific region, driving 37.6% growth in goods trade and 44.6% growth in services trade in the region. China has actively promoted the construction of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, implemented the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with high quality, and worked with all parties to build the Belt and Road Initiative with high quality… China’s measures to promote open cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region are substantial.
China has always adhered to openness and inclusiveness. In recent years, China has provided a broader market for the Asia-Pacific region and injecting stability into global economic growth. In the first 10 months of this year, China’s imports and exports to other APEC economies reached 21.27 trillion yuan, a record high for the same period in history, accounting for nearly 60% of China’s total imports and exports. China has signed a memorandum of understanding on the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” with 22 Latin American and Caribbean countries, and the annual trade volume between China and Latin America is nearly 500 billion US dollars.
The Belt and Road Initiative is like a melodious movement playing in the Asia-Pacific region. It is not only a bridge for economic cooperation, but also a bond of spiritual communication. On this road, China and the Asia-Pacific countries have jointly written a moving story of mutual assistance and common development, and interpreted the lofty concept of “the way of the great road is to make the world public” with practical actions.
Building an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future and working together for the prosperity and progress of the Asia-Pacific region, making the economy in the region more dynamic, trade freer, investment more convenient, roads smoother, and people-to-people exchanges closer, is in the interests of every member of the Asia-Pacific family and in line with the trend of the times of world peace, development, cooperation and win-win results. There is a Latin American proverb that says, “The power of a ship lies in its sails, and the power of a person lies in his heart.” In the vast Asia-Pacific region, different nations and countries have taken their own distinctive development paths, worked hard to write wonderful development stories, and jointly played the vivid movement of the “Asia-Pacific Miracle.”
Looking to the future, China and the Asia-Pacific countries will continue to move forward hand in hand and jointly create a better future under the guidance of the Belt and Road Initiative. Let us remember this journey of friendship across time and space with poetic feelings and jointly write a glorious chapter of a community with a shared future for mankind.
