Xinhua Headlines: Xi urges Asia-Pacific economies to jointly forge a sustainable, brighter future

GYEONGJU, South Korea, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said here Saturday that Asia Pacific economies must enhance mutually beneficial cooperation, make good use of new opportunities, stand up to new challenges, and forge a sustainable and brighter future together.

Xi made the remarks in his speech titled "Jointly Forging a Sustainable and Brighter Future" at the second session of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.

At present, the new wave of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is deepening, opening new horizons for humanity, Xi noted.

On the other hand, the world faces lackluster economic growth and a widening gap in global development, with challenges such as climate change, food security and energy security intensifying, he said.

Xi made a three-point proposal.

Firstly, Xi urged Asia-Pacific economies to further unleash the potential of digital and smart development to give the Asia-Pacific region a fresh edge in innovation-driven development.

The economies should fully harness new technologies to empower and propel them forward, seize the opportunities of digital, smart and green development, and move faster to nurture and promote new quality productive forces, Xi said.

He called for efforts to promote safe and orderly flow of data, deepen cooperation on open-source technologies and build an open, competitive ecosystem for innovation.

The Asia Pacific economies should bear in mind the well-being of the entire humanity, and promote the sound and orderly development of artificial intelligence (AI) while ensuring that it is beneficial, safe and fair, he said.

China has proposed the establishment of a World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization to provide the international community with public goods on AI, he said, adding that China is ready to work with all APEC members to enhance AI literacy and bridge the digital and AI divide in the Asia Pacific region.

Secondly, Xi called on Asia Pacific economies to stay committed to green and low-carbon development to build a new paradigm for sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region.

Asia Pacific economies should keep in mind the responsibility to future generations, enhance synergy between green development strategies of all economies, promote free flows of quality green technologies and products, accelerate the green and low-carbon transition, and vigorously tackle climate change, Xi said.

Since announcing the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, China has established the world's largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system, Xi noted.

China has also submitted its 2035 Nationally Determined Contributions on climate response, and will implement the system of dual control over the volume and intensity of carbon emissions across the board, he said.

Thirdly, Xi called for building an inclusive and universally beneficial future to foster a new dynamism in the inclusive growth of the Asia Pacific.

He called on Asia-Pacific economies to always put the people first, and strengthen policy communication, experience sharing and results-oriented cooperation to fully implement the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, eliminate poverty together, and promote shared prosperity for all the people in the Asia Pacific.

Asia-Pacific economies should fully leverage APEC's traditional strength in economic and technical cooperation to facilitate balanced growth in developing economies, Xi said.

China will move faster to improve the system that provides full life-cycle population services to all the Chinese people, and push forward the high-quality development of the population, he said.

China will also promote the implementation of the initiatives that seek to deploy AI in health care and enhance digital literacy and skills for women, so that all the Asia Pacific can benefit from APEC cooperation, he added.

At the APEC chairmanship handover session, Xi announced that the Chinese city of Shenzhen will host the APEC meeting in November 2026.

He stressed that APEC is the most important economic cooperation mechanism in the Asia-Pacific region that has made significant contributions to the regional growth and prosperity.

The building of an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future is not only the essential way to achieve long-term development and prosperity in the region, but also a shared vision of all parties, Xi said.

The year of 2026 will be the third time China hosts the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, Xi noted.

China is willing to take the chance and work with all parties to build an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future, promote growth and prosperity in the region, and focus on pushing forward the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific and practical cooperation in such areas as connectivity, digital economy and artificial intelligence to inject greater vitality and momentum into Asia-Pacific development and deliver more benefits to the people of the region, Xi said.

Shenzhen, Xi noted, is located along the Pacific coast, saying that it has developed from a small, backward fishing village into a modern international metropolis over the past few decades.

He hailed the city's rise as a miracle in the history of world development created by the Chinese people and also an important window to China's unswerving pursuit of a mutually beneficial and win-win opening-up strategy.

Xi said he looks forward to all parties gathering in Shenzhen next year to jointly discuss the development plans for the Asia-Pacific region and create a bright future for it.

Leaders of the participating economies actively supported China in taking over as the host of the APEC meeting next year. They agreed with China's philosophy as a host of the meeting.

They also looked forward to the complete success of the APEC's "China Year," which is expected to make contributions to promoting regional cooperation, and fostering common development and prosperity.■