On the evening of November 20, 2020, President Xi Jinping attended the 27th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting in Beijing via video link, and delivered a keynote speech entitled "Working Together for an Asia-Pacific Community with a Shared Future".

Xi Jinping pointed out that at present, both the world and the Asia-Pacific are experiencing profound changes, a process further accelerated by COVID-19. Where should Asia-Pacific cooperation be heading? The answer bears on the development of our region, the well-being of our people, and the future of the world at large.

Xi Jinping stressed that we should take this year's APEC agenda of unveiling the post-2020 vision as a new starting point to begin another phase in Asia-Pacific cooperation, and jointly build an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future featuring openness and inclusiveness, innovation-driven growth, greater connectivity, and mutually beneficial cooperation.

First, we need to stay open and inclusive. It is important that the Asia-Pacific should remain the bellwether in safeguarding peace and stability, upholding multilateralism, and fostering an open world economy. We must stay as determined as ever to support the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, and continue to press ahead with regional economic integration for the early realization of a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). China welcomes the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and will favorably consider joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). We need to further implement the APEC Strategy for Strengthening Quality Growth and the Action Agenda on Advancing Inclusion. China will host a seminar on advancing economic inclusion through trade and investment.

Second, we need to pursue innovation-driven growth. We need to spur the dissemination and application of new technologies, strengthen digital infrastructure, improve economic governance and foster an open, fair, equitable and non-discriminatory environment for businesses. China will promote the formulation of guidelines on smart cities. It calls for experience sharing among APEC members on how to control COVID-19 and achieve economic recovery with digital technologies, and for improving the doing-digital-business environment and energizing market players. Next year, China will host a workshop on digital technology-enabled poverty alleviation.

Third, we need to facilitate the smooth, safe and orderly flow of people, goods, capital and data. China is ready to take active and well-thought-out steps with all other parties to set up "fast track" and "green lanes". We need to ensure the safe and smooth operation of industrial and supply chains in our region and beyond, pursue greater complementarity among the development plans and connectivity initiatives of different parties and carry out high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

Fourth, we need to promote mutually beneficial cooperation. We need to deepen the Asia-Pacific partnership featuring mutual trust, inclusiveness and mutually beneficial cooperation and follow the approach of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, so as to keep raising the level and scope of our regional cooperation. It is important that we advance practical cooperation on the basis of consensus, properly manage differences and disagreements, and keep Asia-Pacific cooperation in the right direction to ensure APEC's sound development in the long run. China supports APEC in strengthening policy exchanges and capacity building in the areas of vaccine research, public health and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises to contribute to anti-pandemic cooperation and economic recovery.

At last, Xi Jinping said China is ready to work with all other parties in the Asia-Pacific to build and share a brighter future of peace and prosperity for our region and get ever closer to the goal of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Presided over by Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, the meeting, themed "Optimizing Human Potential Towards a Resilient Future of Shared Prosperity", gathered APEC economic leaders online where they have an in-depth exchange of views and reached consensuses on addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and APEC's vision for post-2020 cooperation.

The APEC economic leaders said that in the face of the challenge of COVID-19, all parties should seek common ground rather than make differences, while strengthening unity, deepening cooperation on vaccines, facilitating the movement of people and materials, overcoming the crisis as soon as possible and achieving economic recovery and growth. While upholding the APEC spirit of equal partnership, common responsibility, mutual respect and mutual benefit, they called for strengthening cooperation in the fields including trade and investment, scientific and technological innovation, and the digital economy, and deepening connectivity. The leaders said they will support the reform of the WTO, uphold multilateralism and the multilateral trading system, and foster a free, open, fair, non-discriminatory, transparent and predictable trade and investment environment. They also said they will advance regional economic integration and the realization of the FTAAP, and strive to build an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community by 2040.

The meeting adopted the "APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040", and issued the Kuala Lumpur Declaration of APEC Leaders 2020.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, He Lifeng and others attended the meeting.