During the 32nd APEC Economic Summit in Gyeongju, CGTN published an article highlighting how China’s President Xi Jinping’s commitment and vision for openness and multilateralism provides strategic guidance for building an Asia-Pacific community, and how China’s proposed initiatives and cooperation projects create opportunities and shared prosperity for the region and the world.
/PRNewswire/ — Under the amber autumn sky and amid the centuries-old temples of Gyeongju in the Republic of Korea (ROK), leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region gathered for the 32nd Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to discuss the region’s future and shared challenges.
Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the 32nd APEC Economic Summit and delivered a written speech to the APEC CEO Summit, reaffirming China’s commitment to openness, multilateralism and shared prosperity.
“We should recommit to APEC’s founding mission and make outstanding contributions to the world through more dynamic and resilient cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region,” Xi said in his written address to the APEC CEO Summit.
“Investing in China means investing in the future”
In his speech to regional leaders at the first session of the 32nd APEC Economic Summit, President Xi pledged that China will further deepen its comprehensive reforms and expand high-level opening-up to create new opportunities for the Asia-Pacific and the world through the latest achievements of Chinese modernization.
Concrete measures demonstrate China’s commitment to openness. The national negative list for foreign investment was reduced to 29 points and completely abolished in the manufacturing sector. Visa waivers now apply to 76 countries through unilateral or reciprocal agreements, making it easier than ever for foreign businesspeople, tourists and professionals to invest, work and live in China. As Xi emphasized, “Partnering with China means seizing opportunities. Believing in China means being optimistic about the future. And investing in China means investing in the future.”
China’s growing connectivity with the region is reflected in trade data. According to China’s General Administration of Customs, trade between China and other APEC economies rose 2 percent year-on-year to 19.41 trillion yuan (about 2.73 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters of 2025, accounting for 57.8 percent of China’s total foreign trade.
Meanwhile, China’s steady economic growth continues to ensure security in the region and the world. Over the past five years, despite increasing external shocks, China has maintained an average annual growth rate of around 5.5 percent, contributing around 30 percent to global growth.
Sevim Dagdelen, a German politician and member of the Bundestag, said China has always been committed to building an open and inclusive cooperation framework in the Asia-Pacific region and maintaining the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization as the core, which plays a positive role in promoting regional and even global economic stability.
‘The right path forward’
As Xi described, the world today stands at a “new crossroads” between cooperation and hegemonicism. In this context, he called on all economies to strengthen their solidarity, reject protectionism, resist unilateralism and work together to build an Asia-Pacific community to further advance peace and development in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world.
To guide this cooperation, Xi outlined five proposals in his speech at the first session: upholding the multilateral trading system, promoting an open regional economy, ensuring industrial and supply chain resilience, promoting digital and green trade, and promoting inclusive development that benefits all.
These ideas are already taking shape. China-initiated platforms such as the APEC Port Network and the Green Supply Chain Network have become important hubs for digitalized and sustainable trade across the region. Over the past five years, China ranked first in global trade in goods and second in trade in services, attracted more than $700 billion in foreign investment, and registered annual growth in foreign investment of over 5 percent.
China’s technological cooperation continues to strengthen partners in Asia Pacific and globally – from smart ports in Latin America and mobile payment systems in Southeast Asia to AI-powered efficiency projects in the Middle East and electric vehicle production in Thailand. Together, these examples form a mosaic of shared progress based on openness and innovation.
Public opinion reflects this vision. A recent CGTN survey found that 83.2 percent of Asia-Pacific respondents have confidence in regional integration, while 84.6 percent believe economies should uphold multilateralism and globalization.
As China prepares to host APEC for a third time next year, its message remains clear and forward-looking. As President Xi put it, “While confrontation and antagonism only breed alienation and turmoil, win-win cooperation is proving to be the right path forward.”
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-10-31/How-China-champions-an-open-multilateral-Asia-Pacific-community-1HVhCfqEkCY/p.html