Chinese vice premier calls for closer Asia-Pacific partnership

BEIJING - Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said on Wednesday China hopes to establish a closer partnership among the Asia-Pacific economies.

In his speech at the opening ceremony of the APEC 2014 Finance Ministers' Meeting, Zhang said this year is the China Year of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum(APEC) as the 22nd APEC economic leaders' meeting will soon be held in Beijing.

"We will take this opportunity to face to the future, seek to establish an even closer partnership, deepen practical cooperation, push for a greater leading role of APEC and draw up a long-term vision for the Asia-Pacific region," Zhang said in the speech, quoting President Xi Jinping.

Zhang said the finance ministers meeting is an important activity for APEC. The meeting will focus on topics such as Asia-Pacific and global economic situation, cooperation on infrastructure investment and financing, fiscal policies for economic restructuring and financial support for entity economy in the region.

He said because the Asia-Pacific region is a major driving force for global economic growth, APEC should truly assume the mission of advancing regional and global growth by helping promote the regional growth featuring coordinated policy, interactive growth and integrated interests.

He said the APEC economies should step up dialogue on macro-economic policies and share information in order to reduce the negative spill-over effect of their policy readjustment and to maintain stability of the regional economy.

Zhang said the APEC economies should advance economic restructuring to increase vigor of the market, expand human capital and advance innovation so as to achieve more robust, inclusive and sustainable growth.

Zhang said the economies should strengthen cooperation on infrastructure development by innovating the mode of investment and financing.

The economies should explore new ways of cooperation between government and market capitals by guiding the rich deposit of savings into infrastructure development.

Zhang said China, as a member of the Asia-Pacific community, will continue to advance economic growth with reform and innovation.

It will advance innovation in the areas of technology, social and economic systems, governance and business models for a sustainable, healthy and high-level development.

Zhang said China will adopt an even more active strategy of opening up, and will continuously improve its business environment to attract overseas investment.

"The more China grows, the more, greater and better opportunities it will bring about for growth in the Asia-Pacific region and the world," Zhang said.