Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday emphasized China’s commitment to multilateral cooperation, announcing that the venue of the next APEC summit would be Shenzhen, Guangdong province.
Xi made the announcement during the chair handover ceremony at the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting at the Hwabaek International Convention Center in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang province.
Xi added that while Shenzhen had been a fishing village only a decade ago, the city has transformed into a modern, international city that is also “part of the Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong Greater Bay Area, which is now an important growth engine (of China).”
Often dubbed China’s Silicon Valley, the southern city in Guangdong province is home to major high-tech giants, including Huawei, BYD, Tencent, Alibaba and DJI. According to a report from the Shenzhen city government, Shenzhen’s GDP climbed 5.8 percent to 3.68 trillion yuan ($740.4 billion) in 2024, putting it among China’s top-performing cities.
Signaling that Shenzhen would serve as a key stage to demonstrate “China’s steadfast and mutually beneficial strategy,” Xi again underscored the importance of multilateralism. During Friday’s first session of the APEC summit, Xi called on Asia-Pacific leaders to uphold multilateralism as the only “viable path” to prevent a “return of hegemonism.”
In contrast, US President Donald Trump — a staunch advocate of protectionist policies — did not attend the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. He returned to Washington shortly after holding talks with Xi on Thursday.
Sharing his hopes for the mutual development of the Asia-Pacific region, Xi noted, “Last night, the butterfly was flying in a dinner hall. It was very beautiful. President Lee Jae Myung asked me, 'are you also going to have a butterfly next year?' I told him that I hope the beautiful butterfly will come to Sunjin and fly even further and maybe even sing for us.”
As President Lee passed the baton to President Xi, he emphasized that peace between the two Koreas was the fundamental foundation for shared prosperity across the Asia-Pacific region.
“Military confrontation, tensions and nuclear issues continue to constrain stability and cooperation not only on the Korean Peninsula but also across the broader region,” said Lee. “Under the principle of resolving issues through dialogue … the Korean government has taken proactive steps to ease military tensions and rebuild trust between the two Koreas, and it will continue to pursue bold, forward-looking initiatives to secure lasting peace.”
Earlier in the day, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-ho released a statement ahead of the summit between the South Korean and Chinese leaders, dismissing Seoul’s efforts to bring up the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as a “daydream” and a “display of ignorance.”
hyejin2@heraldcorp.com
