Xi's interview with media from Indonesia and Malaysia
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E-mail Xinhua, October 2, 2013
3. The 21st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held on October 7-8 in Bali, Indonesia. What do you expect from this meeting? China will host the APEC meeting next year, and could you share with us China's ideas on hosting that event?
The world economy has entered a period of deep readjustment with all regions facing opportunities and challenges in the course of development. The Asia-Pacific region, which has played a leading role in promoting global economic recovery, remains the world's most dynamic and most promising region. APEC, the most influential economic cooperation organization in the region, which attracts the highest level of participation and covers the widest range of areas of cooperation, has played an important role in advancing exchanges, cooperation and economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region.
China hopes that the 21st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting to be held in Bali, Indonesia will focus on the region's leading role in global economic recovery while endeavoring to achieve three objectives. First, to shore up international community's confidence in the development of the Asia Pacific. Second, to give greater play to APEC's leading and coordinating role and upgrade the standing of APEC. Third, to facilitate more positive results at the meeting in supporting the multilateral trading regime, coordinating regional free-trade arrangements and promoting connectivity and infrastructure development in the region.
China will host the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in 2014. We expect to use the occasion to do the following: encouraging APEC economies to build closer partnerships in an open, inclusive and win-win spirit, promote a greater leadership role for APEC, promote greater progress in Asia-Pacific integration, and plan for the long-term development of and win-win cooperation in the region; strengthening macro economic policy coordination by APEC members, information sharing and exchanges among regional free trade arrangements and coordination in regional economic integration; advancing transformation and growth by intensifying innovation-led development, seeking growth from transformation and facilitating transformation through growth so as to inject greater vigor and vitality to the region's development; continuing to promote all-directional infrastructure and connectivity development by addressing the salient problems, promoting regional and subregional cooperation through connectivity and shaping an economic pattern conducive to Asia-Pacific integration.
China is ready to maintain close communication with all parties to ensure the success of the 2013 and 2014 APEC Economic Leaders' Meetings and make greater contribution to the development and prosperity of the Asia Pacific.
4. Recently, with the occurrence of fluctuations in the financial markets of some emerging economies in the Asia Pacific, uncertainties in economic growth have been on the rise. At the same time, the Chinese economy has slowed down. These have led to rising concerns on the part of the international community about the economic outlook in the Asia Pacific and economic downturn in China. What is your view on this?
The recent financial fluctuations in some emerging economies in this region are largely caused by external factors, which have affected market expectations and led to withdrawal of international capital. We call on major developed economies to adopt responsible macro economic policies so as to avoid negative spillover effects. At the same time, emerging market economies also need to enhance risk preparedness and resistance capabilities. It is important to stress here, however, that the shared desire of the Asia-Pacific region for peace, stability and development has remained unchanged; that the historical trend of a rising Asia Pacific in the world both politically and economically has not changed; and that the driver and potential dynamism for a sustained and rapidly growing Asia-Pacific economy has not changed.
We have reasons to believe that the Asia-Pacific region has a bright future. All APEC members should work steadily to ensure that the region will continue playing its leading role in a full recovery and healthy growth of the world economy.
In the first half of this year, China's economy registered a year-on-year growth of 7.6%, slightly lower than previous months. The Chinese government has, of its own accord, introduced measures of readjustment. We made a determined decision to stabilize growth, readjust the structure and deepen reform. No longer taking GDP as the sole measurement of success, we are focusing more on the quality and efficiency of growth. The measures of readjustment and transformation today are aimed at achieving a growth tomorrow that is sounder, more sustainable and of even higher quality.
Comparatively speaking, China's growth is not slow. It is perhaps among the fastest in the Asia Pacific and even the world. The Chinese government has full confidence in achieving a sustained and sound economic development. A Chinese economy that is on track of sustained and sound growth will inject fresh impetus to global economic recovery and make greater contribution to the common development and prosperity of the Asia Pacific.
5. Economic integration in the Asia Pacific is gaining momentum, as evidenced by the mushrooming regional free trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). What is your view on Asia-Pacific economic integration? What role can APEC play?
Asia-Pacific economic integration has presented a beautiful vision of highly integrated regional economy and in-depth expansion of Asia-Pacific cooperation. This is the mission shared by all APEC members and a grand goal for the future development of the Asia-Pacific region.
Free trade arrangements are mushrooming in the region, which is a positive sign for the in-depth development of regional integration. We should expand market openness and deepen regional economic integration through development of such regional free trade arrangements.
As a Chinese saying goes, "the ocean is vast because it admits hundreds of rivers". China has always actively supported and participated in the process of Asia-Pacific economic integration, always upholding an open attitude to any mechanism or arrangement that is conducive to the process. At the same time, we believe that in developing FTAs, the parties should cherish the principles of openness, inclusiveness and transparency and, in particular, demonstrate flexibility for economies at different development stages, so as to offer more options for integration.
As the top-level, broadest and most influential economic cooperation organization in the Asia Pacific, APEC should play a leading and coordinating role in promoting information sharing, transparency and openness among the various free trade arrangements so that they could learn from one another, promoting, reinforcing, and complementing one another to create favorable conditions for the eventual economic integration in the Asia Pacific.
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