Scholars and other experts from around the world are closely following Chinese President Xi Jinping's ongoing visit to Republic of Korea (ROK) and his attendance at the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Gyeongju.
Xi is paying a state visit to the ROK from Thursday to Saturday. He will attend the APEC summit in Gyeongju, which will run from Friday to Saturday.
Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat Eduardo Pedrosa praised China's leading role in promoting regional and global development within the APEC framework in an interview with China Central Television on Wednesday.
He said the Beijing Roadmap for the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) proposed by China when it was hosting APEC in 2014 remains extremely relevant now.
"They are critical to the future of this region. Our openness, our integration, and the role that the Asia-Pacific region can play in supporting an open world economy," Pedrosa said.
Andrey Kortunov, academic director of the Russian International Affairs Council, underlined the importance for APEC of maintaining regional economic growth, and the critical role China plays in driving that growth.
"Of course, we need to mention China's role. The Global Governance Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping not long ago is by no means accidental. The initiative establishes the fundamental principles for international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region and globally. These ideas will surely become a focus at this summit," Kortunov said.
Rino Boer, a professor at LSPR Communication and Business Institute in Indonesia, said President Xi's attendance helps promote communication and build mutual trust in the region.
"His presence is very important this year, because of what? Because with his attendance and with his participation in the summit, I think it will be strengthening our dialogue here and build more trust among the Asians and Asia-Pacific countries here that are attending the [summit] here. And more than that, even his presence is also showing that China will support inclusiveness and sustainability and more stable," Boer said.
Haba Kumiko, professor of international politics at Aoyama Gakuin University in Japan, said China has done well promoting the three main priorities of APEC 2025, namely to support countries in the region to connect, innovate, and prosper.
"China is now the second largest economy in the world, and it's carrying out strong cooperation with its neighboring countries through Belt and Road Initiative and other mechanisms. How China will play a bigger role within the APEC framework has attracted a lot of attention from people around the world," she said.
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former consul general of the Consulate General of ROK in Shanghai Koo Sang-chan both expressed high hopes for President Xi's visit.
"For President Lee Jae-myung, this will be his first meeting with President Xi Jinping. I hope the summit between the two heads of state will push bilateral relations between ROK and China to a higher level," Ban said.
"We warmly welcome President Xi Jinping's first visit to ROK in over 10 years. Under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, China is developing rapidly. As a neighbor, ROK is also benefiting from China's rapid growth," Koo said.
Experts eye Xi's visit to ROK, attendance at APEC Summit with high expectations
