25 years on, APEC to reshape Asia-Pacific in Beijing(2)

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In the process of Asia-Pacific integration, China plays a key role.

"China's accession to APEC in 1991 was a milestone both in the opening-up of China and the development of APEC," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a speech last week.

"In fact, China and the Asia-Pacific have become a community of common destiny and shared interests," he said.

The role of China in APEC was not as valued in early years. Even in 2001 when China hosted the APEC meeting in Shanghai for the first time, the country ranked only the sixth largest economy in the world.

However, China is now the world's second largest economy, with its merchant vessels visible throughout the Pacific Ocean carrying fruits of Peru, iron ore of Australia, milk power of New Zealand, etc. enroute to China, and transporting China-made textiles, iPhones, LEDs, solar panels and tires back to the United States, Japan and ASEAN.

This change may be embodied in "American dreams in China," a high-grossing Chinese movie about three penniless young deadbeats who achieve great business success by doing business with America.

Michael Yu of New Oriental, Pony Ma of Tencent and Jack Ma of Alibaba are seen as the prototypes for the movie's main characters, whose companies are now all listed in the United States.

In 2013, 60 percent of China's total foreign trade was with other APEC members, 83 percent of its utilized foreign investment was from them, and 69 percent of outbound Chinese investment flowed to them.

Before China's accession to the World Trade Organization, APEC served as a "pilot zone" for the country to test the extent of its market reform and its adapting capabilities. Today, APEC is one of the key links in China's international and regional strategies, playing a unique role in transforming China from an Asian economic power to a world one, Liu said.

Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific is relying more and more on China. According to the IMF, China now contributes over 50 percent to Asian economic growth, with every one percentage point of China's economic growth driving up the Asian economy by 0.3 percentage point.

More importantly, China, a country who shook off poverty and became the world' s second largest economy through reform and opening-up, has always served as an important force in driving Asia-Pacific integration forward through its inclusive and open development concepts.