Op-ed: Build a brighter future of Asia-Pacific
By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily
Chinese President Xi Jinping is about to pay state visits to Papua New Guinea, Brunei, and the Philippines from Nov. 15 to 21, and will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ meeting from Nov. 17 to 18 at Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea .
During Xi’s stay in Papua New Guinea, he will also meet with leaders from the Pacific Island countries which have diplomatic ties with China.
The world expects China to continue playing a constructive role in promoting an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future, and inject more positive energy into Asia-Pacific cooperation and global economic growth, which are facing rising complexities and uncertainties.
This year marks the 6th year in a row for the Chinese leader to attend the APEC leaders’ meeting. His proposals, from working together for a better Asia-Pacific region, to fulfilling an Asia-Pacific dream, and then to building a community with a shared future for mankind, all conform to the trend of the times, win the hearts of many and are widely echoed.
This year’s week-long meeting is held under the theme of “Harnessing Inclusive Opportunities, Embracing the Digital Future.” The proposal of the post-2020 vision places new opportunities for Asia-Pacific economic development.
China takes concrete actions to implement the spirit of Asia-Pacific partnership and uphold the right direction of developing an open economy. Its efforts are helpful to build a more open, inclusive, reciprocal and balanced Asian-Pacific economy so that its development can benefit all.
Pacific Island countries are important partners of China. In 2014, President Xi met with leaders of eight Pacific Island countries that have established diplomatic ties with China in Fiji, and announced to establish a strategic partnership featuring mutual respect and common development with them. It opened a new era for China’s relations with the island countries.
In recent years, China helped build more than 100 complete projects for Papua New Guinea and other Pacific Island countries, including international convention centers, ports, roads, office buildings, schools and hospitals.
The country also funded more than 1,300 students from the island countries to study in China and trained about 4,000 specialized talents, which strongly boosted national development of the island countries and improved people’s lives.
This year, the ASEAN-China Year of Innovation, also marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of strategic partnership between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The cooperation between China and ASEAN members has become the most successful and dynamic model in the Asia-Pacific region over the past 15 years.
China has been the largest trading partner of ASEAN for nine consecutive years and ASEAN has been the third largest trade partner of China for seven years in a row.
Brunei and the Philippines are also willing to, together with China, deepen cooperation on Belt and Road, infuse new vitality into the construction of the ASEAN community and ASEAN integration, and safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.
Xi’s upcoming visit will also elevate China’s relations with the two countries to a new level.
This year, China announced a series of measures to further open up. The first China International Import Expo (CIIE) concluded successfully. Next year, China will host the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
China, which is continuously opening itself to the world, will make greater contributions to global economic growth as well as prosperity and development of the Asia-Pacific region.
Xi’s visit will enhance China’s relations with regional countries, and inject new power for cooperation and development into the vibrant region, so that the regional countries could realize the Asia-Pacific dream and together embrace a brighter future of a community of shared future.
(Zhong Sheng, a homonym in Chinese for “voice of China”, is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)
