“The Asia-Pacific region cannot and should not return to a state of confrontation and division during the Cold War,” Xi Jinping said in a video for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, held in New Zealand from Auckland. from Thursday to Friday.
The Chinese president’s comments came amid geostrategic rivalries between China and the United States, as well as rising tensions following the announcement in September of the AUKUS defense pact signed between Washington, Canberra and London to counter China in Indo. -Pacific region.
Xi Jinping, who did not attend the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, also called on APEC leaders to promote trade and investment, maintain the stability and functioning of industrial and supply chains, and promote economic growth supported by sustainable development and ecological transition to have the ability to reduce carbon emissions.
“Without development, it will be impossible to muster the necessary economic forces to achieve the green transition,” defended the Chinese head of state, stressing that “neglect of people’s livelihoods would mean the loss of social support to achieve the green transition.”
On the first day of the APEC Forum, New Zealand Prime Minister Hasinda Ardern, host of this year’s event, as well as representatives from South Korea, Indonesia, Peru, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are scheduled to attend.
This summit will, among other things, focus on economic recovery from the pandemic, digitalization of the economy, free trade, green energy and climate change, as well as sustainable growth and food security.
The event, which accounts for 60% of world GDP and more than half of world trade, covers a market with a population of about 2.85 billion consumers – 40% of the world’s population – and aims to create a free trade zone between 21 member states.
APEC economies founded in 1989: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, South Korea, USA, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
