Qian Naicheng, Ambassador of China to Turkmenistan
1.At present, the COVID-19 pandemic still drags on with cases surging here and there. Global recovery is facing multiple challenges. Unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise. Global industrial and supply chains are under stress. Problems such as inflation and food and energy security remain intricate and challenging.
2.As an ancient Chinese sage observed, “The wise are free from doubts, the benevolent from anxiety, and the brave from fear.” Facing the new circumstances, we must join hands together to build an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future and take Asia-Pacific cooperation to a new height.
3.We should uphold international fairness and justice and build an Asia-Pacific of peace and stability. The region owes decades of its rapid growth to a peaceful and stable environment. This attests to the critical importance of mutual respect, solidarity and cooperation, and consultation among all parties for the greatest denominator when something comes up. We should always assume the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. No one should interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, and everyone should respect the development path and social system chosen independently by the people of each country. We should take seriously the legitimate security concerns of every country, and promote peaceful settlement of differences and disputes among countries through dialogue and consultation.
4.We should stay committed to openness and inclusiveness and bring about prosperity for all in the Asia-Pacific. History has proven time and again that only openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation is the right way forward for humanity. We need to continue pursuing open regionalism, strengthen coordination on macroeconomic policies, forge more closely linked regional supply and industrial chains, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and steadily advance regional economic integration for the early realization of a high-standard Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific.
5.We need to make sure that development is for the people and by the people, and that its fruits are shared among the people, and we should promote prosperity for all in the Asia-Pacific.
6. We should always strive for green and low-carbon development and ensure a clean and beautiful Asia-Pacific. Protecting the ecological environment and tackling climate change is a common challenge facing all humanity. We need to enhance economic and technical cooperation, speed up coordinated digital and green development, advance the transition and upgrading of energy, resources, and industrial and consumption structures, and promote green economic and social development. This year we jointly formulated the Bangkok Goals on Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy, which aims to advance ecological and environmental protection and economic development in a coordinated way.
7. Last year at the United Nations, China proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI), calling for enhanced practical cooperation in poverty reduction, food, energy, health and other areas, and urging expedited implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. I welcome Asia-Pacific countries to take an active part in the Initiative.
8.We should bear in mind our shared future and make the Asia-Pacific a region where all are ready to help each other. We need to view Asia-Pacific cooperation from a strategic and long-term perspective, uphold APEC’s role as the main channel in regional cooperation, and keep Asia-Pacific cooperation in the right direction. We need to act on the purposes and principles of APEC, and continually deepen the Asia-Pacific partnership featuring mutual trust, inclusiveness and mutually beneficial cooperation. We need to follow the spirit of our Asia-Pacific family, look after one another like passengers in the same boat, and steadily move toward an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future.
9. Last month, the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held successfully, setting the course and providing the blueprint for China’s development for now and the years to come. China is ready to pursue peaceful coexistence and common development with all countries on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.
10. China will advance a broader agenda of opening up across more areas and in greater depth, follow the Chinese path to modernization, put in place new systems for a higher-standard open economy, and continue to share our development opportunities with the world, particularly with the Asia-Pacific region. /// nCa, 21 November 2022 (in cooperation with Embassy of China in Ashgabat)