President Xi Jinping on Tuesday pushed China's free trade vision for the Asia Pacific region and asked APEC to "break open closed doors" as leaders of the grouping held talks on forging consensus over opening up commerce in the resource-rich and economically dynamic region.
President Xi is hosting the 22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' meeting at the YanqiLakeInternationalConvention Center in northern suburb of Beijing.
The meeting is being attended by 21 heads of state including US President Barack Obama, his Russian counterpart Vladamir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Xi told the summit's opening session that APEC should "break open the closed doors within the Asia Pacific" on trade.
"We should... push vigorously for the progress of the FTAAP, setting out clearly its targets, direction and roadmap and turn the desire into reality at an early date," he said. Xi said the meeting is expected to achieve four objectives, including the launch of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) process, issue a statement on the 25th anniversary of the APEC, promotion of innovation, reforms and growth to seek new momentum for long-term development of the Asia-Pacific and a blueprint to lay a solid foundation for all-round connectivity in the Asia-Pacific.
Xi called for concrete actions to facilitate free trade, improve connectivity and pursue innovation. He stressed that the APEC members have made important consensus on the launch of the FTAAP process, promotion of connectivity as well as pursuit of innovation and development.
"We need to translate the consensus into actions and make development blueprints for the next five, ten and even 25 years," said Xi. The Asia-Pacific has entered a new stage of development with both chances and challenges, and problems should be tackled in an active manner, he said.
"How can we resolve the risks that regional economic integration goes fragmented? How can we seek new growth momentum in the post-financial crisis era? How can we break the financing bottleneck for connectivity development?" Xi asked.
The differences between the US and China over rival free trade agreements being floated by them have threatened to derail the APEC Summit.
Addressing the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO meet after his arrival here to take part in the APEC leaders summit, Obama had asserted that Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) being floated by Washington is the best for the region.
The 21-member APEC involves a population of 2.8 billion, or 40 per cent of the global total, and produces 57 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and contributes 46 per cent of global trade.
Xi suggested bolder reform and innovation in governance, industrial development and technologies for the region to seek new growth momentum. New economic situation also requires that the region speed up improving connectivity and infrastructure, Xi said.
"To realise the plans we have set, the APEC needs mutual trust, inclusiveness, collaboration and mutual benefit," he said. Xi called for collective efforts to deal with global challenges, such as pandemic diseases, food and energy safety as well as effective cooperation platforms.
The APEC can be an institutional platform to promote integration, a policy platform to strengthen experience exchanges, an open platform to fight against trade protectionism, a development platform to deepen economic and technological cooperation and a connection platform to promote connectivity, he said.
The meeting is expected to promote innovation and reforms to seek new momentum for long-term development of the Asia-Pacific, state run Xinhua news agency reported. Interactions at the summit between leaders appeared to echo geopolitical allegiances.
Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin were seen nodding and smiling as leaders gathered. Abe, however, was accorded only a perfunctory handshake by an unsmiling Xi.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of APEC, which has been the top-level and most representative cooperation mechanism that covers wide range of areas in the Asia-Pacific. Xi also said China will donate $10 million for institutional development and capacity building of the APEC.
India is not a member of APEC, a bloc largely comprise of the countries of the Pacific region. It is to be seen whether the APEC which specialised in trade and commerce would consider admitting new members as a ban in this regard had been lifted in 2010.
