Global Times: President Xi's written speech at APEC CEO Summit boosts confidence of business leaders

BEIJING, Nov. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's written speech at the APEC CEO Summit in Lima, Peru on Friday, in which he called for jointly promoting a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, boosted confidence and opened the door further for cooperation, Chinese and foreign business leaders said. 

In the speech, Xi said the entire Asia-Pacific is deeply woven into the fabric of economic globalization, and is now an interdependent community with common interests and a shared future.

On the other hand, the world is in a new period of turbulence and transformation, said Xi, warning that the grave challenge of economic globalization is like sailing up a river – we either forge ahead or drift downstream.

The attempt to block economic cooperation under all sorts of pretexts and break up the interdependence of the world is nothing but backpedaling, Xi said.

Tougher times call for greater confidence, said the Chinese president. "We should see to it that economic globalization generates more positive outcomes and is taken to a new phase that is more dynamic, inclusive and sustainable."

The speech immediately drew positive feedback from business leaders at the APEC CEO Summit on Friday, with many lauding its emphasis on fostering cooperation. 

"As APEC chair 2024, we are happy to host not only a very important delegation from China here in Peru, but also we are glad to have heard the message delivered this morning, the message of President Xi," Julia Torreblanca, chair of APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) 2024, said during an interview facilitated by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade on Friday.

Torreblanca added that the speech paves the way for collaboration and cooperation, which aligns with ABAC and APEC's core principles, and strengthens commercial ties across the Asia-Pacific region.

On Tuesday, prior to the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima, ABAC, which was created by the APEC Economic Leaders to provide the business perspective on specific areas of cooperation to APEC Leaders, Ministers and Senior Officials, called on APEC Leaders to take decisive actions to boost sustainable and inclusive growth, while noting that challenges have become borderless. 

Also responding to the speech on Friday, Fernando Zavala, chairman of APEC CEO Summit 2024, praised the speech for its "amazing" emphasis on fostering cooperation between China and Latin America and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. 

"I think the theme of what we heard today is that let's remove barriers… to promote trade and promote entrepreneurs," Zavala told reporters. 

In the written speech, Xi also said that "we should help developing countries with their capacity building in science and technology and promote global flow of knowledge and technologies."

"President Xi's remarks on leveraging advances in science and technology for the benefit of all humanity are deeply encouraging," Han Bicheng, founder and CEO of BrainCo, a Zhejiang-based brain-computer interface company, told the Global Times following the APEC CEO Summit in Lima on Friday. 

Han said that "as an emerging technology firm, it is an honor to join the delegation of Chinese entrepreneurs attending the APEC CEO Summit in Peru," highlighting the immense potential for cooperation in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region, while committing to leveraging the company's technologies to support people with disabilities.