Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Manila Tuesday to attend the 23rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting at a time when the region expects more "China opportunities" for economic integration.[Special coverage]
Xi was welcomed by senior Philippine government officials. Leung Chun-ying, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua were also present at the airport to greet the president.
During his stay in Manila, Xi will deliver an important speech at the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, attend the APEC CEO summit and give a keynote speech, and attend the dialogue between the APEC leaders and representatives of the APEC Business Advisory Council.
He will expound China's policy on cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region and the implementation of the consensus reached at last year's APEC meeting in Beijing.
The president is also expected to introduce the progress made in implementing the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the opportunities the proposal brings to the region and the world.
Xi's presence at the APEC meeting shows China's support to the host country and that China attaches great importance to APEC process, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a working visit to the Philippines a week ago.
Themed "Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World," this year's APEC meeting will focus on such specific subjects as regional economic integration, small and medium-sized enterprises, human capital development and sustainable growth.
As the top-level and most representative cooperation mechanism that covers a wide range of areas in the Asia-Pacific, the 21-member APEC has played an important role in advancing trade liberalization and facilitation, promoting economic integration and boosting connectivity.
The Asia-Pacific region, which is vital to global peace and development, accounts for 40 percent of world population, 48 percent of world trade, and 57 percent of global output.
Xi arrived here after attending a summit of the Group of 20 (G20) in the Turkish coastal city of Antalya, where he said the Chinese economy is predicted to grow about 7 percent this year, which will continue to contribute as high as about one third to the global growth.
PROSPECT OF FTAAP
Last year, APEC members endorsed a roadmap for promoting the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) process at the APEC meeting in Beijing.
Since then, the FTAAP has become a new objective for APEC regional integration, said Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen, adding that China is willing to work together with relevant parties to complete a collective strategic study of the FTAAP by the end of 2016.
