As this year marks the "China Year" for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), regional collaboration is expanding across a broader range of sectors. At a high-level media forum held in Shenzhen on September 5th, participants from both China and abroad emphasized that deepening Asia-Pacific partnerships requires not only interconnected economies but also a genuine meeting of minds.

The Asia-Pacific region, home to one-third of the world's population and accounting for over 60% of global economic output and nearly half of all trade, stands as the most dynamic growth belt in the global economy. China is widely recognized as a key engine and driving force behind this regional cooperation. Zhu Min, former Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), noted at the forum that China's economic structure is accelerating its transformation, with new growth drivers expanding rapidly. For instance, in the first half of the year, China produced an average of over 1.5 billion integrated circuits daily and saw daily token calls exceed one million billion. Concurrently, institutional opening-up is progressing steadily in sectors such as services and finance, offering fresh platforms and opportunities for regional development.

The deepening of regional cooperation is increasingly allowing more Asia-Pacific economies to share in its developmental gains. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative co-built by China and Pakistan, stands as a model of mutual benefit. Sherry Rehman, Pakistan's Minister of State for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, stated at the forum that as CPEC enters its 2.0 phase, the focus is shifting from infrastructure development to industrialization, expanding from roads and power plants to exports, technology transfer, and job creation for youth. "Such prosperity is something that ordinary people can see, measure, and genuinely feel," she remarked.

In a recent milestone, a Chinese container ship successfully arrived at Russia's Murmansk port for the first time, marking the official launch of regular cargo services connecting China's coastal ports to the largest deep-water port in the Russian Arctic via the Northern Sea Route. Dmitry Gornostaev, Deputy Director General of the Rossiya Segodnya media group, viewed this landmark event as opening up new avenues for Asia-Pacific cooperation.

Progressing from economic connectivity to deeper collaboration inevitably requires mutual understanding. Participants argued that strengthening mutual comprehension and trust can inject greater momentum into the ongoing deepening of Asia-Pacific partnerships. "Enduring partnerships are built not only on roads, ports, and investments, but also on shared narratives, mutual trust, and mutual understanding," Rehman proposed. She added that achieving common prosperity in the region requires cooperation rather than coercion, open trade rather than barriers, and dialogue rather than discord.

Costas Economou, Senior Vice President of CNN, pointed out in his speech that the Asia-Pacific region brims with dynamic economic vitality, surges with waves of technological innovation, shines with rich cultural diversity, and connects nations with vastly different historical trajectories. "This diversity should not be seen as an obstacle, but rather as a source of strength," Economou stated. Precisely for this reason, he noted, cooperation becomes essential. All parties should foster dialogue among diverse perspectives, building bridges of connection in places where distance, language, or misunderstanding might otherwise create divides.