Ji Peiding, Former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Distinguished former US Secretary of State, Kissinger Office Mr. Robert Hormats, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
today 2018 Asia-Pacific International Economic Cooperation Annual Meeting selected " Global Consensus and Sharing in the Digital Age " as the conference theme, I thought this was very appropriate. I am very grateful to the invitation of BJAPEC. I want to talk about four points in a jump. The first point in the world today is undergoing major changes that have not occurred in a hundred years. The rules of order established in the 1940s that constitute the international order are facing severe challenges. When we talk about the international order and international rules, I think the first point is politically that we must talk about UN and its charters. Secondly, from the financial field, we must mention the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. When we talk about economics and trade, we must talk about the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, which is WTO. Today, one aspect of our world has become very convenient due to various means, and the economic and social development links between countries have become more and more close. Just now Mr. Hormats has explained this in great details.
The global system and order reform is accelerating, but on the other hand, the world economy is undergoing profound changes. Protectionism and unilateralism are on the rise. Economic globalization is experiencing twists and turns. Multilateralism and the free trade system have been affected and unstable. The uncertainties are still many, and the risks and challenges are increasing. However, the economic globalization is a major event in history. This irreversible trend will surely become the driving force for the development of the world economy. It will be very strong. All countries should recognize that an open and open economy is the right direction for us to grasp the development of the world economy. This is the first point I talked about.
The second point is the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up. China will adhere to the basic national policy of opening to the outside world. The first international import fair was successfully held in Shanghai, attracting 172 countries and regions and international organizations to participate, with a total turnover of 57.8 billion US dollars. In the process of China's reform and opening up in the future, China will welcome foreign investors to invest in China, as well as Chinese companies to bravely go overseas to strengthen cooperation. This is the second point I am talking about.
The third point is that the digital economy is the future development direction. China is vigorously building a digital China. We attach great importance to the construction of interconnection. After five years of hard work, China advocates building a Belt and Road and then entering a new stage of in-depth development. On October next year, Chinese government will also hold the second BRF, in which the digital economy will play an important role.
The fourth point In the future, a big kinetic energy of the Chinese economy will come from China's private enterprises. The Chinese government recently officially announced that it will vigorously support the development of private enterprises and will introduce a series of corresponding measures to encourage the development of China's private economy. Therefore, when I finished my speech, our center congratulated BJAPEC on its successful annual meeting. I send my great wishes to the Opening Ceremony of Beijing Academy of Blockchain Consensus, Opening Ceremony of International Brand (Value) Committee of Beijing Association for the Promotion of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Opening Ceremony of Go I den Bridge on Silk Road Think Tank. Thank you all!
