On May 9, Li Chenggang, Vice Minister of Commerce and China’s International Trade Representative, briefed attendees on the APEC Trade Ministers’ Meeting.
On the afternoon of May 9, the Ministry of Commerce held a special press conference in Beijing to introduce the relevant situation of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Trade Ministers’ Meeting.
Li Chenggang, China’s International Trade Representative and Vice Minister of Commerce, said at the meeting that, in line with the theme of “openness, innovation, and cooperation” of the APEC China Year, China hopes to send three signals through the trade ministers’ meeting.
First, China advocates high-level opening-up and is willing to promote regional opening-up through its own efforts. China upholds open regionalism and genuine multilateralism, opposes unilateralism and protectionism, calls for the alignment and integration of rules and standards within the region, and encourages flexible negotiations on more trade and economic arrangements conducive to regional economic integration, thereby further promoting the integration of the Asia-Pacific economic and trade system. In recent years, China has actively expanded its independent opening-up, proactively aligned itself with high-standard international trade and economic rules, promoted the convergence and compatibility of domestic and international rules, regulations, management, and standards, and created a transparent, stable, and predictable business environment, hoping to set a good example for regional opening-up through concrete actions.
Second, China advocates the development of new-type productive forces and is willing to promote innovation-driven development in the Asia-Pacific region through its own development. China actively promotes digital and green cooperation, adheres to innovation-driven development, and is committed to creating more incremental markets and expanding the economic and trade pie through technological progress and industrial integration. In recent years, China has deeply cultivated the two emerging fields of the digital economy and the green economy. Its digital economy ranks among the world’s top, artificial intelligence is developing rapidly, cross-border e-commerce has been growing year after year, green and low-carbon transformation is progressing steadily, and the circular economy is booming, accelerating the digitalization and greening of its economy and industries. China is willing to drive common development in the Asia-Pacific region through its own development and inject strong momentum into regional development.
Third, China advocates inclusive and mutually beneficial cooperation and is willing to promote common prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region through win-win cooperation. China supports making good use of the APEC exchange and cooperation platform, giving full play to the complementary and comparative advantages among APEC members, and jointly discussing cooperation, promoting development, and sharing prosperity. During this meeting, China will hold a series of seminars on investment facilitation, electronic bills of lading, green supply chains, and electronic port networks to promote experience sharing, policy exchanges, and technological cooperation in related fields. China hopes that more economies and more SMEs can share the fruits of Asia-Pacific development.
He also mentioned at the meeting that this year marks the third time China has hosted APEC, after a 12-year hiatus. This year’s APEC cooperation theme is “Building an Asia-Pacific Community for Common Prosperity,” with three main themes: “Openness, Innovation, and Cooperation.” The Trade Ministers’ Meeting is APEC’s main annual ministerial meeting, and this year it will be held in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, from May 22-23.
