GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday urged Asia-Pacific business leaders to reject unilateralism and embrace multilateral cooperation as the only “viable path” to tackling global challenges.
"What we choose will profoundly affect the future of the world," Xi said in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit held in the historic city of Gyeongju.
"The world has come to a new crossroads — solidarity, cooperation and mutual benefit or return of hegemonism and the law of the jungle; multilateralism, openness and inclusiveness or unilateralism and protectionism."
Xi continued to depict China as a defender of the existing international order and a practitioner of “true multilateralism” during the first day of the two-day APEC summit.
Xi has maintained similar rethoric throughout the summit, including during a morning session of leaders and government representatives from the 21 APEC economies, chaired by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
The APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting was skipped by US President Donald Trump, who favors unilateral and protectionist policies and returned to Washington shortly after his meeting with Xi on Thursday.
“While unilateralism precipitates division and regression, multilateralism is the viable option for tackling global challenges,” Xi said during the APEC CEO Summit.
Xi called for business leaders at 21APEC members to renew their “commitment to the founding mission of APEC and make outstanding contributions to the world through more vibrant and resilient Asia-Pacific cooperation.”
To that end, Xi underscored that APEC members “should take the lead in enhancing openness and connectivity” by firmly safeguarding the WTO-centered, rules-based multilateral trading system.
Xi outlined his vision as the incoming APEC chair for next year.
“This demonstrates our full commitment to Asia-Pacific cooperation and our willingness to fulfill our responsibilities,” Xi said. “We will follow the trend of the times, listen to the calls of APEC members, 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.”
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
