Remarks by H.E. Xi Jinping
President of the People’s Republic of China
At the 30th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting

San Francisco, November 17, 2023

The Honorable President Joe Biden,
Colleagues,

It is my great pleasure to meet you all in beautiful San Francisco. This APEC economic leaders’ meeting, the 30th of its kind, holds special significance. I wish to thank President Biden and the U.S. government for the thoughtful arrangements for this meeting.

Since the establishment of the economic leaders’ regular meeting mechanism, APEC has always stood at the global forefront of openness and development. It has played a robust role in promoting Asia-Pacific trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, economic growth and technological progress, and the flow of goods and people. It has helped create the “Asia-Pacific miracle” that has staggered the world.

In the world today, changes on a scale unseen in a century are unfolding at an accelerating pace. The world economy faces multiple risks and challenges. The Asia-Pacific region, which is an engine of global growth, thus has greater responsibility in these times. We, the leaders of Asia-Pacific economies, must think very hard as to what kind of Asia-Pacific region we should have by the middle of this century, what we should do to usher in another “golden 30 years” for the region, and how we can bring out the best of APEC in this process.

An ancient Chinese sage said, “For a righteous cause, I shall press forward, undaunted by thousands standing in my way.” In the same spirit, we must remain steadfast in our commitment to APEC’s founding mission. We must respond to the calls of our times responsibly and meet global challenges together. We must fully deliver on the Putrajaya Vision of building an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community for the prosperity of all our people and future generations. To this end, I wish to propose the following.

First, staying committed to innovation-driven development. Innovation is a strong driver of development. We should follow the trends of scientific and technological advancement, more proactively promote exchanges and cooperation in science and technology, and work together for an open, fair, equitable and non-discriminatory environment for scientific and technological progress. We should accelerate digital transformation, narrow the digital divide, redouble our efforts to implement the APEC Internet and Digital Economy Roadmap, support the application of big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other new technologies, and create new momentum and new drivers of growth in the Asia-Pacific region.

China remains committed to its strategy for driving growth and development through innovation. China is advancing both its digital industry and the digital transformation of traditional industries. China has put forward a number of initiatives for promoting growth and development in the region through digital empowerment, such as digital technology-driven rural development, corporate digital identity, and transition to a green and low-carbon economy through the application of digital technologies.

Second, staying committed to openness in development. As manifested by the Asia-Pacific experience, an economy thrives in openness and withers in seclusion. We must promote free and open trade and investment, support and strengthen the WTO-centered multilateral trading regime, and keep global industrial and supply chains open and stable. We must say no to any attempt to politicize, weaponize, or impose security implications on economic and trade issues. We must remain unwavering to promote regional economic integration, accelerate the building of a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, fully implement the APEC Connectivity Blueprint, and share in the opportunities of open regional development.

The recent third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that China hosted was a success, injecting fresh impetus into global connectivity and the building of an open world economy. China applies the highest standards in implementing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, and has taken proactive steps to align its economic and trade rules with the high standards of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economic Partnership Agreement (DEPA), to accelerate the process of its accession to the CP