Call for Asia-Pacific development lauded

President Xi Jinping's call for building an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future can help advance regional cooperation among member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, experts said.

"President Xi simply wanted to emphasize the intention of China wishing to see more expansion of sincere and tangible cooperation among APEC members," said Korn Dabbaransi, former Thai deputy prime minister and chairman of the Thai-Chinese Friendship Association.

Korn said the APEC region can be the model for better living standards for people in other parts of the world.

Economies of the region must join hands to build an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future and take Asia-Pacific cooperation to new heights, Xi said on Friday at the 29th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.

Noting challenges such as the pandemic, rising unilateralism and protectionism, and disruptions over global industrial and supply chains, Xi said the region should stay committed to openness and inclusiveness and bring about prosperity for all, and steadily advance regional economic integration for the early realization of a high-standard Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific.

Xi's ideas on regional development are crucial in building APEC's less developed regions, said Kim Heungchong, president of the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, a policy research institute in Seoul.

"More advanced countries including the Republic of Korea will join in accelerating regional development in the APEC region," said Kim, noting that Xi's promotion of openness and inclusiveness for Asia-Pacific economic cooperation can also contribute to strengthening the ROK's policy initiatives.

Korn said China has been a model for poverty eradication, and the Belt and Road Initiative will "reach out to the rest of the world with a belt of peace and road to prosperity".

Noting that Thailand is a developing country with an extraordinary relationship with China, Korn said joint programs between the two countries can be replicated and applied in other developing economies.

Xi, in his speech, also said APEC member economies should uphold international fairness and justice, for peace and stability, and strive for green and low-carbon development and ensure a clean and beautiful Asia-Pacific.

"We should bear in mind our shared future and make the Asia-Pacific a region where all are ready to help each other," Xi said.

Surasit Thanadtang, director of the Thai-Chinese Strategic Research Center under the National Research Council of Thailand, said Xi's speech will contribute to regional economic integration and deeper cooperation.

Surasit said that regional openness and inclusiveness can be boosted through the cooperation between China and Thailand, especially in areas such as railways and free trade.

China's foreign policy is still very open and the two countries can focus more on the bio-circular-green economy model that Thailand introduced to promote the transition to sustainable development, Surasit said.