Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a written speech titled "Staying Committed to and Jointly Promoting Development to Bring Asia-Pacific Cooperation to New Heights" here Thursday at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit.
The following is the full text of the speech:
Staying Committed to and Jointly Promoting Development to Bring Asia-Pacific Cooperation to New Heights
Written Speech by H.E. Xi Jinping
President of the People's Republic of China
At the APEC CEO Summit
Bangkok, 17 November 2022
Representatives of the Business Community,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends,
It gives me great pleasure to come to the beautiful city of Bangkok for the APEC CEO Summit.
Our world has once again reached a crossroads. Wher is it headed? What should we do here in the Asia-Pacific? These questions demand urgent answers.
The 21st century is the Asia-Pacific century. Our region, which accounts for one-third of the world's population, over 60 percent of the global economy and close to half of global trade, is the most dynamic growth belt in the world. We, members of this region, have come a long way in pursuing economic development, and we will surely write an even more brilliant chapter in the years ahead.
Currently, the Asia-Pacific enjoys overall stability. Cooperation in our region has been steadily advanced, and peace, development and win-win cooperation remain the underlying trend in this region. On the other hand, the world has entered a new period of fluidity and change. Both geopolitical tensions and the evolving economic dynamics have exerted negative impact on the development environment and cooperation structure of the Asia-Pacific. The COVID-19 pandemic keeps resurging. The global economy faces mounting downward pressure and growing risk of recession. Food, energy and debt crises are emerging together. Many countries are encountering considerable difficulties in economic and social development. Various factors of uncertainty and instability are growing. The Cold War mentality, hegemonism, unilateralism and protectionism are mounting. Acts that distort international norms, disrupt economic linkages, inflate conflicts in regions, and impede development cooperation are all too common. All these pose a serious challenge to peace and development in the Asia-Pacific.
A review of the past may offer a clue to what will happen in the future. Over the past decades, Asia-Pacific economic cooperation has injected powerful impetus into the development of our region and greatly improved the wellbeing of our peoples. We should draw on the valuable past practices and remain firm in pursuing our development goals.
-- We should follow a path of peaceful development. The Asia-Pacific, once a ground of big power rivalry and a place fraught with international disputes, suffered so much from conflicts and wars. History tells us that bloc confrontation cannot solve any problem and that bias will only lead to disaster. It is precisely because the Asia-Pacific was freed from the shadow of the Cold War that this region, and particularly its small- and medium-sized economies, have been able to embark on a fast track toward modernization and create the Asia-Pacific miracle.
The Asia-Pacific is no one's backyard and should not become an arena for big power contest. No attempt to wage a new Cold War will ever be allowed by the people or by our times!
-- We should follow a path of openness and inclusiveness. Openness and inclusiveness are vital for human prosperity and advancement. Over the past decades, we economies in the Asia-Pacific have overcome market fragmentation, built closer economic linkages and embraced the world, thus opening up vast space for economic development. APEC, guided by open regionalism and the principles of diversity and non-discrimination, has become an architecture for inclusive and win-win regional cooperation. It is by acting on such a far-sighted vision that we in the Asia-Pacific have been able to seize the opportunities of economic globalization and become a forerunner of the times in pursuing regional economic integration.
Openness brings progress while closing the door can only leave one behind. Any attempt to disrupt or even dismantle the industrial and supply chains formed in the Asia-Pacific over many years will only lead Asia-Pacific economic cooperation to a dead end.
-- We should follow a path of solidarity. The Asia-Pacific miracle has been created by all of us working hand in hand and overcoming difficulties and obstacles. Over the years, we in the Asia-Pacific have stayed together as one big family. We have met challenges head-on in solidarity, defused various risks and navigated the surging tides of the global economy. Through cooperation, we have forged a sense of community, which has laid a solid foundation for steady progress.
The Asia-Pacific has entered a crucial stage of post-COVID recovery. The economies in our region are confronted with disrupted supply chains, strained food and energy supply, growing inflationary pressure and other difficulties. We should strengthen cooperation, support and help each other, and enable the Asia-Pacific to be a leader in boosting global economic recovery.
