During the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Gyeongju, CGTN published an article highlighting how Chinese President Xi Jinping’s commitment and vision on openness and multilateralism provide strategic guidance for building an Asia-Pacific community, and how China’s proposed initiatives and collaborative projects are creating opportunities and shared prosperity for the region and the world.
/PRNewswire/ — Under the amber autumn sky and among the centuries-old temples of Gyeongju, Republic of Korea (ROK), leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region gathered at the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Meeting to discuss the region’s future and common challenges.
Chinese President Xi Jinping participated in the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and addressed the APEC CEO Summit in a written speech, reaffirming China’s commitment to openness, multilateralism and shared prosperity.
“We must renew our commitment to APEC’s founding mission and make outstanding contributions to the world through more dynamic and resilient Asia-Pacific cooperation,” Xi said in his written address to the APEC CEO Summit.
‘Investing in China is investing in the future’
In his address to leaders from across the region during the first session of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, President Xi Jinping pledged that China would further deepen comprehensive reforms and expand high-level opening-up, creating new opportunities for the Asia-Pacific and the world thanks to the latest developments in Chinese modernization.
Concrete measures demonstrate China’s commitment to opening up. The national negative list for foreign investment has been reduced to 29 items and has been completely eliminated in the manufacturing sector. Visa waiver policies now cover 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 Jinping emphasized: “Collaborating 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 the General Administration of Customs of China, in the first three quarters of 2025, trade between China and other APEC economies increased by 2% year-on-year, reaching 19.41 trillion yuan (about $2.73 trillion), accounting for 57.8% of China’s total foreign trade.
Meanwhile, China’s sustained economic growth continues to provide certainty to the region and the world. Over the past five years, despite increasing external shocks, China has maintained an average annual growth rate of about 5.5%, contributing about 30% to global growth.
Sevim Dagdelen, a German politician and member of the Bundestag, said China has always advocated building an open and inclusive Asia-Pacific cooperation framework and maintaining the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization as the fundamental pillar, which plays a positive role in promoting regional and even global economic stability.
‘The right path to follow
As Xi described, today’s world is at a new crossroads between cooperation and hegemonism. In this context, he called on all economies to strengthen solidarity, reject protectionism, resist unilateralism and work together to build an Asia-Pacific community that further boosts peace and development in the region and the rest of the world.
To guide such cooperation, Xi presented five proposals in his speech at the first session: defend the multilateral trading system, foster an open regional economy, safeguard industrial and supply chain resilience, boost digital and green trade, and promote inclusive development that benefits all.
These ideas are already taking shape. China-driven platforms such as the APEC Ports Network and the Green Supply Chain Network have become hubs for digitalized and sustainable trade across the region. Over the past five years, China has ranked first in global trade in goods and second in services, attracting more than $700 billion in foreign investment and maintaining outbound investment growth of more than 5% annually.
China’s technological collaboration continues to strengthen its Asia-Pacific and global partners, from smart ports in Latin America and mobile payment systems in Southeast Asia to AI-based 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.
Popular sentiment reflects this vision. A recent CGTN survey revealed that 83.2% of respondents in the Asia-Pacific region expressed confidence in regional integration, while 84.6% agreed that economies should uphold multilateralism and globalization.
As China prepares to host APEC for the third time next year, its message remains clear and forward-looking. As President Xi stated: “While confrontation and antagonism only lead to distance and instability, mutually beneficial cooperation proves 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