Xi's call for collaboration commended

President Xi Jinping's messages at the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and the APEC CEO Summit for building an open and interconnected paradigm for Asia-Pacific collaboration through economic openness are highly relevant and commendable, experts said.

Also, the Chinese leader's call for strengthening APEC's role in the global economy will help advance greater regional economic integration and connectivity, they said.

Jasna Plevnik, president of Geoeconomic Forum Croatia, noted that Xi said that China is ready to bolster the building of an "interconnected paradigm", and that Xi's address at the APEC economic leaders' meeting, which took place late last week in Lima, Peru, has reduced the space for uncertainties in international relations, which is highly needed at this moment for the future of regional and global economic cooperation.

As the world is facing new waves of unpredictability and protectionism, Xi has urged APEC economies and the global community at large to meet the challenges, take each other as partners in global trade, pursue cooperation in advanced technologies and support each other, she added.

"That approach captures the spirit of the modern times and interests of people."

Swaran Singh, a professor of international relations at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, said China has been increasingly recognized as the flag-bearer for global growth and economic globalization. Xi's reiteration of China's commitment to economic globalization is reassuring for China's economic partners and for the future of multilateralism in general, Singh said.

Ukeru Magosaki, director of the East Asian Community Institute of Japan and a former senior official at Japan's foreign ministry, said that with the impending return of the Donald Trump administration, unilateralism and protectionism are expected to gain momentum in Washington through trade policies, marking a departure from the post-World War II trend of fostering an open global economic system centered on mutual development.

"China's future trade policies… will significantly influence the global economy," he said. "From a broader perspective, the Asia-Pacific region is anticipated not only to develop through mutual cooperation but also serve as a key driver of economic globalization."

Dicky Budiman, a scholar associated with Australia's Griffith University and Indonesia's YARSI University, said the president's speeches "inspire optimism for a collaborative pathway toward sustainable development and regional stability, creating opportunities for nations to thrive together while addressing the global challenges of our time".

Shakeel Ahmad Ramay, CEO of the Asian Institute of Eco-civilization Research and Development, in Pakistan, said Xi's speeches can be summarized in five words: inclusivity, green development, connectivity (digital and traditional), innovation, and cooperation.

The president assured the world that China is committed to strengthening global cooperation for the inclusive and people-centric green transition, enhancing connectivity, and sharing the dividends of technological development by building fair cooperation mechanisms, the expert said.

To achieve the objectives, President Xi said that China is deepening reforms and opening-up, creating more avenues of cooperation and partnerships, Ahmad noted.

Interconnected growth

James Gomez, regional director at the Bangkok-based Asia Centre, said the latest APEC meeting focused on trade and investment for inclusive and interconnected growth. In terms of promoting sustainable development through innovation, China, as the world's second-largest economy, should further play a leading role in expanding free trade, he said.

Brian Renwick, a British business adviser who was a Hong Kong-based consultant to public and private sector organizations for 28 years, said he was glad to see China playing such a large role in the APEC meeting.

"There is no doubt that China's approach to cooperation, both regionally and globally, is outstanding," he said.

"With the world population rising by three times in just the last 50 years, there is not only space for a multipolar world, but it is essential for global prosperity and security," he said.

Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan, executive director of the Islamabad-based Centre of South Asia and International Studies, said openness, transparency, fair, free and equitable economic cooperation, is a must for greater development, integration, progress, and prosperity.

Jiang Xueqing in Tokyo and Yang Wanli in Bangkok contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at vivienxu@chinadailyapac.com.