Asia-Pacific community with a shared future built on openness, innovation and cooperation

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Informal Senior Officials' Meeting that took place in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, last week approved a Chinese proposal to set openness, innovation and cooperation as the three priorities for the APEC "China Year", and "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together" as its theme.

The APEC Symposium and Informal Senior Officials' Meeting, taking place on Thursday and Friday, were the first events organized by China as the host of the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, which is scheduled for Nov 18 and 19 next year in Shenzhen, along with the APEC CEO Summit and the joint ministerial meeting of foreign and trade ministers, according to the Foreign Ministry.

APEC was founded to promote openness, growth and cooperation in one of the world's most dynamic regions. The expectations surrounding the APEC "China Year" reflect not only confidence in China's hosting capabilities, but also a shared hope among member economies that it can inject fresh momentum into the regional cooperation mechanism. Against the backdrop of the weak global recovery, rising protectionism and fragmented supply chains, the Asia-Pacific's ability to remain a region of open development has acquired added significance.

China has long been an active participant and a strong advocate of APEC cooperation. That it stands ready to work with all parties to build an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future provides clear guidance for the country in its role as the APEC host in 2026 and for its efforts to rally regional economies to make new progress.

The proposal to make "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together" the theme of the APEC "China Year" reflects China's long-term vision for the region's sustainable development and has been widely welcomed by APEC members.

Building such a community requires a practical blueprint. The three priority areas for the year's APEC agenda identified at the Shenzhen meeting capture the essence of Asia-Pacific dynamism: openness has been the lifeline of regional prosperity, enabling trade, investment and the free flow of factors; innovation has been the driving force, helping economies upgrade industries and enhance competitiveness; cooperation has been the force binding the diverse regional economies together.

Strengthening their collaboration in these areas will help the APEC members respond more effectively to pressing development issues, sustain the region's growth momentum and consolidate regional unity. In doing so, it will help translate the goal of building an Asia-Pacific community into concrete actions, ensuring that cooperation delivers tangible benefits for people across the region.

The agenda for the APEC "China Year" highlights China's pragmatic and inclusive approach as the host. Around 300 events are expected to be held, covering a wide range of fields including trade, the digital economy, transportation, tourism, energy, food security, finance, small and medium-sized enterprises and women's development.

China's development is inseparable from the Asia-Pacific. Throughout APEC's history, the country's initiatives such as the Shanghai Consensus and the Beijing Program have left a lasting imprint on the region, demonstrating China's commitment to multilateralism and free trade. Today, China's role as a driver and engine of Asia-Pacific cooperation is becoming even more prominent.

The visit by senior officials to Shenzhen and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area offered a firsthand look at the achievements of Chinese modernization. Recent policy arrangements outlined at the Central Economic Work Conference further highlighted China's determination to expand high-standard opening-up, advance institutional openness, develop free trade zones and steadily build the Hainan Free Trade Port.

With its doors opening ever wider, China will continue to share the opportunities created by its high-quality development with partners. By promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, enhancing regional economic integration and supporting an open Asia-Pacific economy, China will offer new opportunities to the region and beyond.

Providing fresh impetus for Asia-Pacific development through the achievements of Chinese modernization is a firm choice China has made. As the APEC "China Year" unfolds, the world's second-largest economy is poised to make greater contributions to regional prosperity, global stability and the building of the Asia-Pacific community with a shared future.