On November 18 local time, the 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit was held in Manila of the Philippines. President Xi Jinping attended at invitation and delivered a keynote speech entitled “The Leading Role of the Asia-Pacific In Meeting Global Economic Challenges”, stressing that all Asia-Pacific economies must act in a responsible manner and work in unison to press ahead with reform and innovation, build an open economy, implement the Sustainable Development Agenda and promote connectivity, with a view to driving global economic growth. China’ s development will pay still more attention to efficiency and quality, innovation, equity and justice, green development and opening to the outside world.

Xi Jinping pointed out that against the backdrop of multiple challenges in the world economy, the Asia-Pacific economy is also confronted with many immediate and potential difficulties and risks. All economies in the region must act in a responsible manner and work in unison to promote global growth. We must press ahead with reform and innovation, adopt new approach, model and pathway of development, and expedite industrial upgrading so that science and technology innovation will bring about new products, management and business models, and move Asia-Pacific economies up in the global supply chain. We must build an open economy, accelerate the realization of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), take regional economic integration forward, and make free trade arrangements open and inclusive to the extent possible. We must implement the Sustainable Development Agenda, incorporate the Sustainable Development Agenda into our respective national development strategies and ensure its effective implementation. We must promote connectivity, align our national development strategies, plans and programs, ensure that regions and countries can trade in production factors, complement each other's industrial advantages and production capacity, and learn from each other's development experience. We must earnestly implement the APEC Connectivity Blueprint.

Xi Jinping stressed that we must step up policy dialogue and coordination and use APEC as a platform to create synergy, focus on development, spare no effort in fostering an environment of peace conducive to development, adhere to the concept of win-win cooperation and community of shared future, recognize diversity in development path, and resolve differences through dialogue and consultation.

Xi Jinping noted that this year, with global growth slowing down, China is working vigorously to overcome difficulties and meet challenges and its overall economy has operated within the reasonable range and maintained steady and fairly rapid growth. In general, China's positive economic fundamentals and long-term trajectory remain unchanged. What also remain unchanged are the basic fact that China's economy possesses strong resilience, great potential and ample room for maneuver; the strong support and conditions favorable for continued growth; and the forward movement of the country's economic restructuring and upgrading. On the other hand, China's economy is still grappling with the throes of deep reforms. The opportunities are unprecedented, but so are the challenges.

Xi Jinping emphasized that the fifth plenum of the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee adopted the proposal for the 13th five-year plan on economic and social development, putting forth the concept of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development, and proposing a series of major reforms in next five years. We will pay still more attention to efficiency and quality and innovation, take full advantage of innovation’s multiplier effect in galvanizing growth, do away with institutional obstacles, and let the market be the decisive force in allocating innovation resources. We will pay still more attention to equity and justice and make economic development more inclusive. We will pay still more attention to green development, make ecological progress part and parcel of the entire process of our economic and social development, and build up a strong capacity to adapt to climate change. We will pay still more attention to opening to the outside world, accelerate efforts to build high-standard FTAs and work with relevant parties to finish at an early date negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). China's policy on welcoming foreign investment will not change, nor will its protection of the legitimate rights and interests of foreign-invested enterprises or its commitment to provide better services for them. China's door to the outside world will forever stay open.

Xi Jinping indicated that China is a member of the Asia-Pacific family. We began our development here and we owe our development to the Asia-Pacific. We will continue to anchor ourselves here and deliver benefits to the region. Through implementing the "Belt and Road" Initiative, we will go for even broader, deeper and more sophisticated cooperation at the regional level and jointly foster a regional framework of open, inclusive, balanced and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Wang Huning, Li Zhanshu, Yang Jiechi and others attended the event.

On the same day, Xi Jinping also attended the dialogue between APEC leaders and representatives of APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), and exchanged views with the representatives on FTAAP, “Belt and Road” construction and other topics.