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Chinese President Delivers Speech at APEC CEO Summit
Chinese President Delivers Speech at APEC CEO Summit
Chinese President Jiang Zemin delivered a speech entitled "Striving for Development and Prosperity through Cooperation" in Shanghai Thursday at a welcoming dinner during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit 2001.
Jiang extended warm welcome to the participants on behalf of the Chinese government and people as well as in his own name, noting that he has attended many sessions of APEC CEO Summit to discuss Asia-Pacific economic cooperation and development with business leaders in the region.
It is of significance that the APEC CEO Summit 2001 Shanghai is devoted to the theme of "New Century, New Economy: Developing in a Globalizing World", Jiang said. Multi-polarization in World Economic AffairsAll countries or regions, regardless of ethnicity, history, culture, social system and level of economic development, should respect each other, seek common ground while setting aside differences, learn from each other to offset their own weakness, coexist peacefully, work for the establishment of a new, fair and rational international political and economic order and strive for common growth and prosperity through consultations and cooperation, Jiang said.
"Herein lies not only the fundamental solution to the problems in the world economic development, but also an essential condition for development of the New Economy in the new century," he said. Full Regard to "Vulnerable" Countries' InterestsAsia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and national governments should give full regard to the interests of the "vulnerable" countries and peoples while pushing forward economic globalization and trade liberalization, Jiang said.
To put economic globalization and trade liberalization in their right perspective is of overarching importance to a healthy development of the global economy. They are generally conducive to world economic development. But one must not overlook that given the unevenness of global economic development, any improper handling of this process will bring a negative impact on developing countries and small- and medium- sized enterprises, Jiang said.
He said that there are two possible development scenarios for the process of economic globalization and trade liberalization. If the process moves along a rational track, it may not only allocate world resources more effectively and fairly and expand the productive forces of all countries, but also promote the establishment of a global multilateral trading system and of a new, just and rational international economic order to the benefit of people of all countries, he said.
But if it should be allowed to proceed along an irrational way, it may aggravate the uneven distribution of world resources and an unbalanced economic development, widen the gap between the North and South, sharpen the polarization between the rich and the poor and cause further environmental degradation, he said.Positive Role of APEC Affirmed "The inception and growth of APEC conform to the trend of our times and testify to the spirit of development through cooperation, " Jiang said, noting that in a mere decade, APEC has grown to a key economic cooperation forum in the world, boasting 21 members in the Asia-Pacific and contributing significantly to the economic development in this region and the world at large.
"Facts have proved that development and prosperity of the Asia- Pacific needs APEC. As the most important inter-governmental mechanism for economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, APEC's very existence and development help maintain regional peace and stability and promote economic growth in this region," the Chinese president said.
If APEC is to maintain and enhance its vitality, it must stick to its cooperation approach suited to the realities of this region, constantly enrich its agenda for economic cooperation in light of developments and changes, and strengthen the communication between governments and enterprises so as to benefit all its members, Jiang said.
Full Text of Jiang's Speech
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