Xi Jinping’s Speech at the
Informal APEC Head-of-State Meeting
October 7th, 2013 7:58 PM XinHuanet
XinHuaNet Bali, October
7th Electronic Edition – On the 7th, National Chairman Xi
Jinping attended the twenty-first Informal APEC Head-of-State Meeting, giving a
speech titled “Serving as a Leader in the Asia-Pacific: Maintaining and
Developing an Open Economic World”. The
full speech is below:
Serving as a Leader in the Asia-Pacific: Maintaining and Developing
an Open Economic World
APEC Head-of-State Meeting: Regarding the Global Economic State and
Multilateral Economic Institutions
(October 7th, 2013)
Chairman
of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping
Honorable President Susilo,
Colleagues,
I am very happy
to discuss world economic planning in the beautiful Bali, and to cooperate for
the future of Asia-Pacific cooperation.
First, I would like to thank President Susilo and the Indonesian
government for all of their timely preparations!
At present, the
world economy is developing in a positive direction, but sources of instability
and uncertainty remain. The deep-running
effects of the financial crisis have not yet disappeared, and international
financial risk cannot be ignored. Major
problems in developed countries’ economic structures are far from being solved,
and the need to coordinate international economic policies is particularly
evident. Some markets in the
Asia-Pacific are meeting increasing risks and burdens, fluctuations in the
financial market, and cooling economic growth.
The WTO Doha Round has stated that progressive cooling could cause new
development of trade and investment protectionism.
It
is the important role of APEC to push for both regional and global development,
meet the above-mentioned challenges, and display courage and determination,
serving as a leader in cooperation, maintaining and developing an open economic
world, and serving to push for continued global economic recovery.
1. Strengthen international economic policy coordination,
and push for mutual development in the Asia-Pacific. In a globalized economy, when one benefits
everyone benefits; when one is hurt all are hurt. Through cooperation on international economic
policy, we can establish effective economic links, and reduce trade deficits.
APEC should fill
such a role, pushing for coordinated policies, increased communication, and an
open and developed integration of interests.
2. Look at the situation objectively, calmly meet these
challenges, and uphold financial stability in the Asia-Pacific. At present, changes in the world economy are
creating challenges for financial markets, capital flows, and exchange rates, increasing
the economic and financial risk in the region.
We must be wary of risks that could cause unrest in the financial
markets of the Asia-Pacific, set economic policy that underpins social policy,
and preventing economic and financial problems from evolving into political and
social problems.
At the same time we must foster peace and stability. The need to promote unchanged, mutual
expectations has not changed. The expanding
status and role of the Asia-Pacific region in the world economy has not
changed. The force and potential of
sustained, high-speed growth of the Asia-Pacific region has not changed. The economies of the Asia-Pacific have
already learned from the lessons of the past, and have reduced the possibility of
increased risk. We have reason to be
confident in the economic outlook of the Asia-Pacific.
3. In the long-term, we must push for all members to
increase adjustments to their economic structures to increase the strength of
the Asia-Pacific’s long-term development.
If we do not think of the future, we will be quick to encounter
hardship. While we are solving current
problems, we must also plan for the future.
The key to future development is reform and innovation. We must transform methods of economic
development, adjust economic structures, push for reform and innovation, and free
up domestic demand, innovative forces, and market forces, fostering sustainable
economic development through domestic forces.
The road to reform is not smooth.
Whether a developed country or developing country, each country must
make basic preparations and carry out the necessary reforms. Only through difficulty can we display
courage. Only through sincerity can we
reach prosperity.
Each economy in the Asia-Pacific should hasten the
adjustment of its economic structures, deepen chain of value integration, and push
for the Asia-Pacific to take the lead in creating a new group of industries,
continuing to assume the responsibilities of a major economic engine of the
world.
Colleagues!
At the 9th WTO Department Head Meeting in two
months, the Doha Round will discuss the future of multilateral trade
organizations and their important effects.
At the same time, as regional trade arrangements appear and enter the
scene, regulations and standards are different, and our paths are
different. Thus, I wish to propose the
following.
First: to foster cooperation, together pushing for
economic integration in the Asia-Pacific.
China has an open and supportive attitude of any institution that
benefits the integration of the Asia-Pacific.
At the same time, such plans should be established in the spirit of
cooperation, not opposition, open-mindedness, not close-mindedness,
mutually-beneficial, not zero-sum results, realizing integration, not fragmentation.
The members of APEC should use openness, inclusion, and
transparency, establishing institutions for the exchange of free trade
information, using APEC to lead cooperation, allowing regional leaders to have
input on developing and executing regional trade agreements, strengthen
communication and exchange, and establishing conditions conducive to free trade
in the Asia-Pacific.
Second: to work for open development, strongly opposing
trade-protectionism. Each country’s
economy should open up and work with others to solve its problems. That this year’s meeting is conducted in
Bogor has special meaning. We must channel
the spirit of Bogor, maintaining openness and regionalism; we must not let “each
household sweep its doorstep, not paying attention to others.” Developed members should set an example of
market openness, placing importance on technological cooperation and helping
developing members become more competitive.
Third: to maintain confidence, infusing multilateral
trade institutions with new life. APEC
once played an important role in concluding the Uruguay Round
Negotiations. History has once again
arrived at a similar moment in time. We
should courageously take on new responsibilities, sending strong political
messages for the Doha Round, giving political guidance and flexibility to the
Trade Department Heads, urging all sides to reach early decisions, fully carry
out the resolutions of the Doha Round, and determine a realistic course of
action.
Colleagues!
APEC is currently entering a new period of
development. Standing at a new,
historical starting point, we must raise our hands, maintain openness and
inclusiveness, a spirit of cooperation and mutually benefits, and push for APEC
to fulfill an even larger role!
Thank you.
Translated by: Paul Orner
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