CGTN: How China champions openness and multilateralism to build Asia-Pacific community
During the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Gyeongju, CGTN published an article highlighting how Chinese President Xi Jinping's engagement and vision for openness and multilateralism provide strategic guidance for building an Asia-Pacific community and how initiatives proposed by China and collaborative projects are creating opportunities and shared prosperity for the region and the world.
BEIJING, Oct. 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Beneath the amber autumn skies and among the centuries-old temples of Gyeongju, Republic of Korea (ROK), leaders from across the Asia-Pacific gathered for the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings to discuss the region's future and shared challenges.
Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and addressed the APEC CEO Summit in a written speech, reaffirming China's commitment to openness, multilateralism and shared prosperity.
"We should renew our commitment to the founding mission of APEC and make outstanding contributions to the world through more vibrant and resilient Asia-Pacific cooperation," said Xi in his written address at the APEC CEO Summit.
'Investing in China means investing in the future'
Addressing leaders from across the region at Session I of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, President Xi pledged that China would further deepen comprehensive reforms and expand high-standard opening up, creating new opportunities for the Asia-Pacific and the world through the latest achievements of Chinese modernization.
Concrete measures demonstrate China's commitment to openness. The national negative list for foreign investment has been reduced to 29 items and fully cleared in manufacturing. Visa-free policies now cover 76 countries through unilateral or reciprocal arrangements, making it easier than ever for foreign businesspeople, tourists and professionals to invest, work and live in China. As Xi emphasized, "Partnering with China means embracing opportunities. Believing in China means being optimistic about tomorrow. And investing in China means investing in the future."
China's growing connectivity with the region is reflected in trade data. According to the General Administration of Customs of China, in the first three quarters of 2025, trade between China and other APEC economies rose 2 percent year-on-year to 19.41 trillion yuan (around $2.73 trillion), accounting for 57.8 percent of China's total foreign trade.
Meanwhile, China's steady economic growth continues to provide certainty for the region and the world. Over the past five years, despite increasing external shocks, China has maintained an average annual growth rate of around 5.5 percent, contributing approximately 30 percent to global growth.
Sevim Dagdelen, a German politician and a member of the Bundestag, said China has always advocated building an open and inclusive Asia-Pacific cooperation framework and upholding the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, which plays a positive role in promoting regional and even global economic stability.
'Right path forward'
As Xi described, the world today stands at "a new crossroads" between cooperation and hegemonism. In this context, he called on all economies to strengthen solidarity, reject protectionism, resist unilateralism and work together to build an Asia-Pacific community so as to further boost peace and development in the Asia-Pacific and the wider world.
To guide such cooperation, Xi outlined five proposals at his Session I speech: upholding the multilateral trading system, fostering an open regional economy, safeguarding industrial and supply chain resilience, advancing digital and green trade, and promoting inclusive development that benefits all.
These ideas are already taking shape. China-initiated platforms such as the APEC Port Network and Green Supply Chain Network have become vital hubs for digitalized and sustainable trade across the region. Over the past five years, China has ranked first in global goods trade and second in services trade, attracting more than $700 billion in foreign investment and maintaining outbound investment growth above 5 percent annually.
China's technological collaboration continues to empower Asia-Pacific and global partners - from smart ports in Latin America and mobile payment systems in Southeast Asia to AI-powered efficiency projects in the Middle East and electric vehicle production in Thailand. Together, these examples form a mosaic of shared progress grounded in openness and innovation.
Public sentiment mirrors this vision. A recent CGTN poll found that 83.2 percent of respondents across the Asia-Pacific expressed confidence in regional integration, while 84.6 percent agreed that economies should uphold multilateralism and globalization.
As China prepares to host APEC for the third time next year, its message remains clear and forward-looking. As President Xi put it, "While confrontation and antagonism breed only estrangement and turbulence, win-win cooperation proves to be the right way forward."
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