Editor's note: Zhang Jianping, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is deputy director of the academic committee of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce. Gao Yuan is a postdoctoral researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce. The article reflects the authors' opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

With the 33rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting to be held in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province in south China, on November 18 and 19, Chinese President Xi Jinping's thoughts, articulated at APEC events, explain why Asia-Pacific cooperation is critical and how to consolidate it.

At the 2014 meeting by Beijing’s Yanqi Lake, a well-known wild geese habitat, Xi likened the 21 APEC member economies to a flock of geese flying together; two years later, in Lima, Peru, he gave the example of the sweet potato – its vines stretch in all directions, but they all grow out of its roots – to describe China's development and its relationship with the Asia-Pacific; and in 2018, aboard the cruise ship Pacific Explorer in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, he said: "I was looking at the vast ocean when I boarded the ship, and it struck me that we are all indeed fellow passengers in the same boat."

This line of thought has continued in subsequent years. At the 28th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in 2021, he said "openness is the lifeline of Asia-Pacific cooperation," and in 2024, he called for APEC to reactivate its role as an incubator of global economic and trade rules. The first underscores why openness is essential, and the second highlights how to uphold openness. Together they form the full coordinates of Asia-Pacific development.

The lifeline metaphor carries particular weight. Xi expounded on it, saying: "We need to uphold open regionalism, follow the guidance of the APEC Vision 2040 in advancing regional economic integration, and work for the early realization of a high-standard Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). We need to practice true multilateralism, stick to dialogue rather than confrontation, inclusiveness rather than exclusion, and integration rather than decoupling, and be resolute in safeguarding the multilateral trading regime with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core."

The prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region has always been rooted in openness. Home to nearly 40% of the world's population, the region accounts for nearly 50% of global trade and over 60% of global economic output. According to the International Monetary Fund's October 2026 projections, it is expected to contribute 68% of world economic growth in 2026. For such a powerful engine of global growth, turning away from openness would mean severing its own lifeline. Amid the shocks of unilateral protectionism and economic fragmentation, openness is not one of many alternatives; it is the prerequisite for the Asia-Pacific to sustain growth momentum and continue driving the global economy.

China's high-standard opening up has turned the notion of an economic "lifeline" into tangible reality. It has further reduced the overall tariff level from 9.8% in 2014 to 7.3% as of 2024. For many consecutive years, China has remained the largest trading partner of 13 APEC member economies. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RECP), which also includes 12 APEC economies, has entered into force since 2022, becoming the world's largest free trade area. The "lifeline" is more than an empty slogan; its impact can be seen in the trade figures.

The path metaphor is particularly insightful in highlighting APEC's distinctive role. At the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima, Peru, Xi called for APEC to activate this role.

An incubator is a nursery for nurturing seedlings. APEC has long followed the cooperative approach of voluntarism, consensus-building and non-binding commitments. These principles give it the inclusiveness and flexibility to serve as a testing ground where rules can grow in advance. Piloting new ideas here carries little systemic risk, while successful practices can then be scaled up. New issues are explored, consensus is built, and mature rules are subsequently transplanted into the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core.

Rule cultivation is one priority, and trade facilitation is the other. APEC enables its 21 member economies to share a common agenda: Customs procedures have been repeatedly streamlined, the APEC business travel card facilitates cross-border travel, and regulatory rules are aligned. These efforts to facilitate trade and investment form the fertile soil for Asia-Pacific economic exchanges.

The evolution of the FTAAP represents the most complete illustration of this seedling-nurturing mechanism. The 14th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam agreed to explore the FTAAP as a long-term vision. The 22nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Beijing endorsed the FTAAP roadmap and its 27th edition in Malaysia formulated the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040, setting the goal of an "open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community." The 31st meeting in Lima adopted the Ichma Statement, providing the guiding elements to foster a cooperative and evolving FTAAP agenda. As successive seedlings take root, the foundation of the multilateral trading system grows firmer.

The same-boat metaphor is particularly relevant to today's challenges. At the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea on October 31, 2025, Xi emphasized: "The rougher the seas, the more we must pull together." The Asia-Pacific is now navigating such rough seas: Unilateralism is on the rise, tariff barriers are mounting, and industrial and supply chains are being artificially severed. Such storms cannot be avoided; they must be faced.

Xi once explained the importance of connectivity with a fundamental principle of traditional Chinese medicine: When there is free flow, there is no pain; when there is no free flow, there is pain. He has also said "Connectivity makes the economic arteries of the Asia-Pacific flow more smoothly." Therefore, APEC member economies should "join hands rather than part ways, and strengthen our links rather than sever them." Building trade barriers is tantamount to damaging one's own economic blood vessels.

The wild-goose metaphor underscores the importance of partnership. Unilateralism and exclusive groupings essentially mean flying alone, which cannot sustain long-term progress. The Asia-Pacific should act as the lead wild goose in the formation of regional cooperation, taking the initiative rather than standing by and waiting. An open-minded approach to policymaking is reflected in three principles: dialogue, inclusiveness, and integration. It means setting no barriers based on different stages of development, drawing no dividing lines according to institutional differences, and leaving no latecomers behind simply because one moves faster.

The 21 APEC member economies differ vastly in population, economic size and institutional arrangements, yet they have sustained dialogue at the same table for more than three decades. This is the very spirit of openness. For the Asia-Pacific to forge ahead, such broad-mindedness is a necessity.

The theme of the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting is "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together," with "openness, innovation, cooperation" as its three priorities for the year. Openness comes first precisely because it is a lifeline. Nurturing new rules and exploring new paths both depend on keeping this lifeline open.

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