BEIJING, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- While hosting the 2014 APEC meeting by Yanqi Lake in Beijing's northern suburbs, Chinese President Xi Jinping compared the 21 APEC economies to 21 swan geese.
The lake got its beautiful Chinese name because the migrant swan geese would flock there for rest each spring and autumn. In Chinese culture, swan geese symbolize faithfulness, resilience, and determination, flying in unison toward a shared destination despite great distances.
"We are meeting here at Yanqi Lake to enhance cooperation and embark on a new flight to shape a new vision for the development of the Asia-Pacific region," he said. "A lone goose cannot make a formation."
As a steadfast champion for unity, Xi called on APEC economies to stay committed to mutually beneficial cooperation and fully leverage each other's strengths to promote development for all. "We should replace the 'winner-take-all' mentality with an all-win approach and work together for great development and prosperity of our region," he noted.
Founded in 1989, APEC was designed to foster economic growth and facilitate free trade and investment across the Asia-Pacific region. Throughout the years, thanks to the joint efforts of its members, the Asia-Pacific region has served as a vital engine of the world economy, driving what Xi has called "the Asia-Pacific miracle." The latest IMF data show the region contributes approximately 60 percent to global economic growth.
The APEC economies, covering several continents and home to one-third of the world's population, vary significantly in their development paths and economic conditions. Acknowledging the differences and divergences among those in the region, Xi emphasized, "Those who cherish the same ideals and follow the same path can be partners, and so can those who seek common ground while reserving differences."
In 2014, under Xi's chairmanship, APEC economies endorsed a roadmap to advance the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), initially proposed in 2006 in Hanoi, Vietnam. This endorsement was widely viewed as a milestone, marking the official start of efforts to transform a broad vision into concrete actions aimed at elevating Asia-Pacific regional economic integration to a new level.
Sharing Xi's vision, Montri Mahaplerkpong, executive board member of the Federation of Thai Industries, said, "Adhering to the objective of driving APEC together, whether in big, small or medium-sized economies, we have plenty of room in this world to move the economy forward together, as long as we have the will to make it better."
"I believe all 21 APEC member economies could do hand-in-hand collaboration by seeking common ground while shelving differences," said Montri. ■
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