SINGAPORE, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- China has been a very committed member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) over the years, said Eduardo Pedrosa, executive director of the APEC Secretariat.
China has very strongly contributed to the APEC, Pedrosa told Xinhua in a recent interview before the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in South Korea, expressing anticipation for China's participation in this year's meeting.
During China's hosting in 2014, the forum undertook "a deep dive into the idea of a free trade area of the Asia-Pacific" with the release of a roadmap, Pedrosa said. "We continue to look at that as a reference document for our work moving ahead."
"We also have this blueprint for connectivity," he said, referring to the APEC Connectivity Blueprint 2015-2025 released in Beijing. "How do we all connect with each other? The physical infrastructure, people-to-people infrastructure, and institutional connectivity. These are major contributions that China made the last time it hosted."
He described the current era as one of multifaceted transitions. The Asia-Pacific region faces structural challenges, including climate change, natural disasters, the need for renewable energy, and demographic shifts.
On top of these long-term transitions, Pedrosa said new vulnerabilities have been exposed in recent years, particularly in global supply chains. "The emphasis is on how we make them more resilient," he said.
Pedrosa noted that one key focus for this year's meeting is how supply chains can be strengthened, including through the use of technology such as artificial intelligence (AI).
"Where the different parts of the supply chains are, and where the parts of each good come from ... that's something we actually don't know ... Using artificial intelligence, it's much easier for us to have that transparency and understand where we need to build resilience," Pedrosa said.
Established in 1989, APEC now has 21 member economies. "One of APEC's key strengths is its member-driven," Pedrosa said, emphasizing that the forum respects each member's self-interest while building a common agenda. "It's like a marketplace for ideas." Through this process, he added, economies gain insight into why others adopt specific policies and how they might respond.
"We live in very uncertain times," Pedrosa said. "But the uncertainty can be addressed through dialogue and increasing understanding." He described the organization as a form of soft institutionalism with non-binding characteristics that allow members to discuss complex issues collaboratively.
Demographic shifts, especially aging populations, are another area of focus. "Each economy has different structures, different social security systems. But there's a lot that we can learn from each other," Pedrosa said.
"We talked about the volatility, uncertainty and ambiguity in the world. Institutions like APEC play a really instrumental role in trying to navigate a path through this period. That really does come from the sharing of information and of priorities," he said.
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