“Cai kho bo cai khon ”҅ is a traditional Vietnamese saying, meaning “Don’t be limited by your own small world" that I learned here in Da Nang. It encourages one to think outside the box and become more intelligent as a result. I like ancient sayings hold much wisdom.

Running around in Da Nang, during the week the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week, it does not take long for one to realise that the world has really changed. People have already come out of their boxes, their small worlds, so to speak. Instead of a black or white zero-sum game, pragmatism abounds. In fact, a strong sense of pragmatism is in the air.

How? Let’s take a look at what people are saying about trade mechanisms: RCEP and TPP. 

RCEP, stands words of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Yes, RCEP is being proposed and intensely discussed between the ten member states of the ASEAN and its six partners, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. 

So that is approximately 3.5 billion people, 40 percent of the world's GDP. The negotiation is in process. Even though there are concerns about the speed of reaching a final agreement, strong hopes are pinned on the enormous growth it could create.

What about TPP, or Trans Pacific Partnership used to involve US and 11 other economies in the Asia Pacific region. Thanks to the US' controversial withdraw, the other 11 economies looked at one and another and realized, that despite the deal getting watered-down from the original version, it is still better than nothing. 

So the idea of free trade has been benefiting all of them, developed and developing economies alike. They are now working around the clock here to iron out a deal.

Nobody here is driven by ideology, but from yearning to learn from the lessons and experiences of others to seek an answer for one’s own future. Long gone are the days it seems when the world referenced just one idea, one system, one country, or even just one individual. Pragmatism is in the air. It is happening 24 hours a day here in the bilateral rooms, in the conference halls, under the spotlight, in the closed rooms, at the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week.

To quote an ancient Chinese proverb: Let a hundred flowers blossom. And that is fascinating! Here in Da Nang, I’m Tian Wei. Wei, the World, your world!

(Tian Wei is a former Washington correspondent; now host of "World Insight with Tian Wei," moderating daily live global debates and doing exclusive interviews with the world's most outstanding people from all walks of life. She has been named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and is passionate about public service: National Ambassador for Mental Health Advocacy, Special Advisor to the UNDP.)