World tuning in to buzzwords of APEC Beijing meetings (2)

REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY

Regarding connectivity, a major topic of the APEC meetings, Oleg Bogomolov, an economist with the Russian Academy of Sciences, said Xi's speech highlighted the importance of strengthening Asia-Pacific regional connectivity and promoting regional technological innovation.

The Asia-Pacific region has abundant natural resources, broad markets, and huge development potentials, he said, adding that the region needs to integrate resources and speed up regional integration.

On Tuesday, APEC leaders approved the "APEC Connectivity Blueprint 2015-2025" to lay the foundation for all-round connectivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

The document outlines the construction of new roads, railways and shipping lanes; the slashing of regulatory constraints; and the easing of barriers to people-to-people interaction and mobility.

Richard H. Frank, president and CEO of Darby Overseas Investments, Ltd., a Washington-based private equity firm, said he was most interested in boosting connectivity and infrastructure construction, because economic growth will not be fast and companies cannot prosper without easy transportation services.

Promoting connectivity and infrastructure construction is a prerequisite for realizing regional economic integration, said Ning Gaoning, chairman of the China Oil &Foodstuffs Co. (COFCO), a state-own grain and oil giant.

To deepen infrastructure construction of the APEC economic entities is not just helpful for shortening the geographical, physical and systematic distances but also good for finding new growth engines, Ning said.

THE ASIA-PACIFIC DREAM

In a speech to APEC business leaders on Sunday, Xi laid out the vision of an "Asia-Pacific Dream."

When elaborating on the idea, the president said the dream is about acting in the spirit of the Asia-Pacific community and out of a sense of shared destinies, following the trend of peace, development and mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly working for the prosperity and progress of the region.

He added that the dream is about staying ahead of global development and making greater contribution to the well-being of mankind.

Commenting on the vision, Michael Cox, a professor emeritus of international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science, said he believes that the "Asia-Pacific Dream" concept can contribute to the prosperity and stability of the region.

"Everything that can be done to be able to contribute to the region's stability and economic prosperity clearly must be welcome," he stressed.

On the outcomes of the APEC Beijing meetings, Tang Guoqiang, chairman of the China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, said he is confident that they will be written into APEC history.

The two documents reached by the APEC economic leaders, namely "Statement on the 25th Anniversary of APEC: Shaping the Future through Asia-Pacific Partnership" and "Beijing Agenda for an Integrated, Innovative and Interconnected Asia-Pacific," are of historic significance and will usher APEC cooperation into a brand-new stage.