Connected by the waters of the Pacific, the economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) have, over the past 37 years, prospered through openness and flourished through cooperation, creating an “Asia-Pacific miracle” that has captured the world’s attention. Today, changes on a scale unseen in a century are unfolding at an accelerating pace. The world economy is experiencing anemic growth, and the World Openness Index has been declining. Unilateralism and protectionism are posing new challenges to openness and cooperation. APEC now faces a critical choice between openness and isolation, and between working together and “building walls.” At this historic crossroads, the question of our times is: Where is Asia-Pacific development headed? Preserving the region’s commitment to openness and cooperation has become a shared task for all APEC economies.

On September 5, the National High-Level Think Tank of Xinhua News Agency released a report titled 'Openness, Innovation and Cooperation—Building a More Prosperous Asia-Pacific Community' in Shenzhen for a global audience. The report systematically reviews the groundbreaking progress and historic achievements made since APEC’s establishment 37 years ago. It provides an in-depth analysis of the opportunities and challenges facing cooperation among APEC economies in the current international environment, identifies key areas for future cooperation, and presents a comprehensive picture of the promising prospects and global significance of building a more prosperous Asia-Pacific community.

Since its establishment in 1989, APEC has remained committed to its founding mission of promoting common development and improving people’s well-being. In doing so, it has forged a path of cooperation characterized by harmony without uniformity, mutual benefit, and win-win outcomes. Guided by the principle of “open regionalism,” APEC fully respects and accommodates the differences among its member economies in political systems, levels of development, and social and cultural traditions. Through practical cooperation, it has helped turn the Asia-Pacific into a powerhouse for world economic growth, an anchor of stability for global development, and a pacesetter for international cooperation.

Given the pronounced diversity of Asia-Pacific economies, APEC has followed the 'APEC Approach' of dialogue and consultation, flexibility and pragmatism, and seeking common ground while shelving differences. It fully respects the development rights and diversity of all its members, builds the broadest possible consensus through communication and coordination at multiple levels, draws on their complementary strengths, and works to grow the 'pie' of Asia-Pacific cooperation together.

Amid turbulence in the global economic and trade landscape, APEC has remained committed to open regionalism and firmly focused on trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. It has continued to reduce non-tariff barriers while advancing all-around opening up of trade in services, digital trade, and investment market access.

Changes in the world, in the times, and in history are unfolding like never before. Against this backdrop, Asia-Pacific economies have sharpened their focus on the region’s shared interests and unequivocally identified openness, innovation and cooperation as three priorities, charting the course for the Asia-Pacific economy to stabilize, regain momentum, and achieve higher-quality development.

To build an Asia-Pacific community, we must regard openness as its lifeblood and consolidate the foundation for shared prosperity across the region. Openness and cooperation offer the only path for the Asia-Pacific to meet challenges and create a better future together. We must remain firmly committed to true multilateralism, uphold the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and keep regional industrial and supply chains stable and smooth. We should build a high-standard regional trading system, strengthen the alignment and integration of regional economic and trade rules, facilitate the free flow of factors of production, and develop an inclusive institutional framework.

To build an Asia-Pacific community, we must make innovation a source of momentum and unlock the region’s potential for long-term development. Innovation gives wings to the Asia-Pacific economy. With its distinctive scientific and technological resources and strong tradition of innovation, the region has fostered many new technologies, industries, and institutional mechanisms, making it a major engine of global innovation and development. Finding effective solutions to the global shortfall in growth momentum is a shared mission for the Asia-Pacific. Looking ahead, APEC economies will develop a region-wide collaborative innovation system and strengthen mechanisms for joint research and technological breakthroughs.

To build an Asia-Pacific community, we must make cooperation its solid foundation and pool our collective strength for common development. Cooperation is the cornerstone of shared prosperity in the Asia-Pacific and a fundamental guarantee for building an Asia-Pacific community. At its heart is the promotion of universally beneficial and inclusive development, enabling more stakeholders to participate in and benefit from growth. Asia-Pacific economies remain committed to 'joining hands' rather than 'letting go,' and to 'extending industrial and supply chains' rather than 'breaking them.' They are actively seeking further areas where their interests converge, supporting the open development of supply chains, and continually consolidating and refining infrastructure, institutional, and people-to-people connectivity. In doing so, they are further consolidating the foundation for open development across the Asia-Pacific.

A new journey begins from Shenzhen. At this new historical starting point, and guided by the threefold consensus on openness, innovation and cooperation, APEC will further consolidate the foundation for shared prosperity, unlock the Asia-Pacific’s potential for long-term development, and pool the region’s collective strength for common development. Together, its members will build a more prosperous Asia-Pacific community and write a new chapter in the 'Asia-Pacific miracle'”

Author: Zhao Ruixi, Research Fellow, Xinhua Institute