China's interaction with APEC members shows Xi's diplomatic charisma

MANILA - Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose charisma has drawn worldwide attention, will once again be in the limelight at another upcoming international gathering -- the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting -- this time in Manila, the Philippines.

In September, Xi visited the United States, where the world was seeing the two countries strive to address issues including cyber security and the South China Sea, while building a new model of major-country relationship, a proposal initiated by Xi.

Xi and his US counterpart Barack Obama saw a long list of tangible results achieved during the Chinese leader's first state visit to Washington, also his third major summit with Obama.

The Xi-Obama summit also helped soothe worries about a potentially damaging China-US rivalry and assure the world, especially the Asia-Pacific region, that the two remain partners in safeguarding peace, stability and prosperity in the world.

After his successful US tour, Xi's just-concluded visits to Vietnam and Singapore earlier this month have created new engines for cooperation and set a new model for regional cooperation.

Besides economic cooperation, Xi touched upon issues such as the South China Sea while visiting Hanoi, reiterating China's stance and urging the two sides to properly manage and control differences, safeguard stability at sea and focus more on cooperation.

During Xi's visit to Singapore, China's commitment to peaceful development and common prosperity was reflected not only in economic cooperation deals, but also in its unwavering support for the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

"The free passage of vessels and flights has never been a problem, and there never will be any problem, because China is the one that needs the free passage of vessels in the South China Sea the most," Xi said in his speech at the National University of Singapore on Nov. 7, reiterating the fact that the South China Sea has been Chinese territory since ancient time.

Despite twists of Sino-Philippine relations stemming from the South China Sea issue, Xi still confirmed his participation in this year's APEC meeting, which will be held from Nov 18 to 19 in the Philippine capital of Manila.

Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Laura del Rosario on Sunday hailed Xi's decision to attend the meeting, saying it indicated China is one of APEC's active players and the importance of the multilateral economic cooperation mechanism.

"It will also send a message to the region that we are working as a team to address our common economic and security concerns," the undersecretary told a press briefing.

A great opportunity to strengthen bilateral cooperation, Xi's upcoming visit to the Philippines is also welcomed by civil society organizations and the private sector in the Southeast Asian country.

"We are looking forward to President Xi Jinping's visit, which will hopefully create a new booster for the regional cooperation and development," Stephen Techico, president of the Federation of the Filipino-Chinese Association of the Philippines, told Xinhua.

Jaime Zobel de Ayala, chairman and chief executive officer of Ayala Corporation Philippines -- the oldest and largest conglomerate in the Philippines that holds the country's major telecommunication services provider Globe Telecom -- spoke highly of his company's partnership with China's Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

"I can imagine a lot of Filipino companies are having similar interactions with Chinese companies and I assume China also wants to have its products and services to enter new markets," Ayala told Xinhua during an exclusive interview.

With regard to bilateral cooperation in the sphere of modern infrastructure, Joseph Emilio Abaya, secretary of the Philippine Department of Transportation and Communications, said the country can learn a lot from China when it comes to mass transit projects and traffic management.

After rounds of competitive bids earlier this year, Dalian Locomotive, a subsidiary of China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation, had finally won the contract to supply 48 light vehicles for Manila's Light Rail Transit System Line MRT-3.

Established in 1989 as a forum for the 21 Pacific Rim economies to promote free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region, the APEC is becoming an increasingly important mechanism to address economic issues not only within the region, but also around the world.

"China is a great power. We are all inspired by how China has always been so amazing in knowing how to promote business. In every Chinese person, there is an entrepreneurial spirit. That can inspire people to learn from China," said Doris Magsaysay-Ho, chair of APEC Business Advisory Council 2015.