Opening the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting today, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for cooperation ‘wherever roads, railways, air routes and the internet take us.’

In his opening address to the 21 members at the 22nd APEC meeting in Beijing he addressed world leaders who are present to consider the next generation of measures for enhancing cooperation between member economies and hopefully a new vision for sustainable, inclusive development across the Asia-Pacific region.

In his short opening address, President Xi Jinping said there is a need to accelerate efforts to upgrade infrastructure and build comprehensive connectivity. He said this is necessary due to the increasing volume of people and flow of goods in the region that is weighing on existing infrastructure and capacity for long-term economic growth. He said: “Our cooperation should extend to wherever roads, railways, air routes and the internet take us.

“Connectivity is about connecting rules and regulations,” he added. “When coordination and cooperation are enhanced and regulatory obstacles are reduced, logistics will become smoother and exchanges more convenient.”

 

BEIJING, Nov. 11, 2014: Chinese President Xi Jinping poses for a group photo with participants of the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Beijing, capital of China. (Photo credit: Xinhua).

 

 

MORE COOPERATION AHEAD?
He continued: “Some developing economies in the Asia-Pacific region now face difficulties. We need to increase financial and technical support to developing members, give full rein to the strength of diversity among Asia-Pacific economies to draw on each other’s strength, better leverage the amplifying effects and achieve the common development.”

As part of this, he said China will donate $10m to support APEC institutional capacity building and technical cooperation in various fields.

 

US President Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin at the summit today. (Photo credit: Xinhua).

 

 

“It meets the common interests of us all to foster an open economy in the Asia-Pacific featuring innovative development, interconnected growth and converging interests,” he concluded. “All the economies in the region need to work together to build an Asia-Pacific partnership of mutual trust, inclusiveness, cooperation and win-win progress. This will inject new energy into the economic development of both our region and the world.”

[With this is mind it was also perhaps poignant that leaders from both the Japanese and Chinese delegations were reported to have held formal talks over the disputed islands in the East China Sea for the first time yesterday-Ed].