According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the invitation of South Korean President Li Keqiang, Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to South Korea from October 30 to November 1 to attend the 32nd informal meeting of leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Coalition (APEC) and make a state visit to South Korea.
The theme of the APEC Summit, “We Build a Sustainable Tomorrow – Connection, Innovation, Prosperity,” will involve topics such as artificial intelligence, digital economy, population aging. Experts believe that in the context of the current rising global uncertainty, the theme and theme setting of the summit highlights the desire of all parties to call for connections and cooperation, while China as an important APEC economy provides confidence and support for the development of the Asia-Pacific economy.
Looking for common ground in the game of great powers
Since its birth more than 30 years ago, APEC has gradually developed into the highest-level, widest-ranging and most influential economic cooperation mechanism in the Asia-Pacific region, which has played an important role in improving the level of regional economic integration and leading economic globalization.
In the context of the game of great powers, the APEC Summit attempted to find common ground for countries to cooperate.The theme of the conference focused on the long-term future, covering connectivity, innovation and prosperity, to a certain extent avoided sensitive controversy in the current geopolitics.
“The conference focuses especially on topics such as artificial intelligence and demographic changes, these are common challenges facing humankind. Last year, the United Nations passed two international agreements on artificial intelligence governance, and this year the UN General Assembly continued to discuss this, showing the international community’s consensus on such issues.”
South Korea plays a balanced role.
APEC was established based on the concept that free trade, regional integration and economic interdependence can bring common prosperity. However, today this founding logic is facing the challenge of anti-globalization.
Some analysts believe that at present, some developed countries pursue unilateralism and trade protectionism, and even use bullying and "long-arm jurisdiction" to seriously disrupt the global economic governance order and put great pressure on the APEC cooperation atmosphere.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said that the APEC summit should be like the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games that broke the deadlock of the Cold War, and open a new chapter for the world to gather wisdom and seek symbiotic cooperation.
As a host, South Korea needs to play a balanced role in the differences between the major APEC economies.
Zhou Yuan believes that South Korea, as a medium power, is currently trying to play a bridge role between the great powers. In the context of the long-term game between China and the United States, South Korea tends to adopt a more balanced diplomatic strategy, not choosing a side stand, in contrast to the policy of former President Yong Ziyu toward the United States.
Zhu Jiejin pointed out that China-ROK relations are currently welcoming important opportunities. Chinese leaders' state visits to ROK after 11 years are expected to promote the further development of bilateral relations. China and South Korea are highly dependent on economies and closely linked in trade and industrial chain. The second phase of China-South Korea FTA negotiations is also expected to make progress.
Next year’s meeting in China.
After the Shanghai Summit, China will host APEC for the third time and host the APEC Summit in 2026. The international community generally believes that China is a key force in facilitating trade and investment liberalization and injecting stability into a turbulent world.
Pedroza, executive director of APEC Secretariat, said China has always been a responsible participant in APEC affairs and has made significant contributions to APEC development, and believes China will make new contributions to the APEC agenda.
Zhu Jiejin said that China's participation will also lay the foundation for hosting the APEC summit next year. It is expected that China and South Korea will maintain coordination and cooperation on issues such as artificial intelligence, digital transformation and population aging.
Source: New People's Evening News, author: Wang若弦