（By H. E. Wang Di, Chinese Ambassador to Canada）

In just one week, the world’s attention will focus on Shenzhen, China, where the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting will be held. This is the third time for China to host APEC, and the first time in 12 years. It is both a great honour and a significant responsibility. Over the past 12 years, APEC economies have maintained steady growth. Together, they account for nearly 40 percent of the world’s population, more than 60 percent of global GDP and nearly half of global trade. The Asia-Pacific has become an engine of global growth and a champion for regional integration. Amid a turbulent and changing international landscape and mounting challenges to global economic growth, finding ways to sustain the Asia-Pacific economic miracle through enhanced cooperation is an urgent task facing all APEC economies.

To this end, China, as the host, has proposed “Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together” as the theme for APEC China Year, with openness, innovation and cooperation as three priority areas. Openness means firmly upholding the multilateral trading system, opposing building walls or barriers, and advancing regional economic integration. Innovation means remaining committed to innovation-driven development, and creating new markets and expanding economic and trade cooperation through technological progress and the application and commercialization of innovation. Cooperation means staying true to APEC’s founding purpose and vision, and maintaining a sound environment for trade and investment, so as to inject greater stability and certainty into regional and global economies. China stands ready to work with all APEC economies to set out anew from Shenzhen and jointly build an Asia-Pacific community that is prosperous and stable, open and interconnected, inclusive and beneficial to all, and united in mutual support.

China is an active advocate for and a committed contributor to Asia-Pacific cooperation. China’s development hinges on close cooperation with other economies in the Asia-Pacific, which has also created broad opportunities for the development of the region. As the largest trading partner of 13 APEC economies, China’s trade with other APEC economies in the first three quarters of this year totalled 24.07 trillion RMB (approximately 5.05 trillion CAD), up 23.9 percent year on year, among which trade in high-tech products reached 6.66 trillion RMB (approximately 1.4 trillion CAD), up 50.3 percent and already exceeding the full-year total of last year. China has been actively promoting the development of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, and the high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Belt and Road cooperation. China has applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) and has consistently upheld the spirit of the Asia-Pacific family in promoting openness and cooperation. APEC China Year 2026 also coincides with the first year of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). China’s resolve to help build an open world economy remains unchanged. We will continue to pursue high-quality development and expand high-standard opening up, creating new opportunities for the Asia-Pacific and the world through new achievements of Chinese modernization.

China and Canada are both important countries in the Asia-Pacific region and important APEC members. Although our two countries are different in national conditions, history, culture and path of development, our economies are highly complementary and our interests converge in many areas. A sound, stable and sustainable China-Canada relationship serves the common interests of both peoples and contributes to peace, stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region and the world. APEC is not only a major platform for promoting economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, but has also played a positive role in promoting high-level exchanges, improving bilateral relations and resuming practical cooperation between China and Canada. Last year, on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Mark Carney, marking a turning point in China-Canada relations. Building on this, Prime Minister Carney made a successful visit to China in January this year, ushering in a new chapter of forging a China-Canada new Strategic Partnership.

Over the past year, under the strategic guidance of the two countries’ leaders, China-Canada relations have come a long way. Exchanges at various levels have grown increasingly closer across a wide range of fields, including politics, economy and trade, agriculture, finance, education, culture and law enforcement, with more concrete deliverables achieved. In the first three quarters of this year, bilateral trade between China and Canada reached US$80.4 billion, up 17.2 percent year on year. China’s imports of crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Canada increased by 13.1 percent and twelve-fold respectively. Participating as the Guest Country of Honour at the China International Consumer Products Expo in April, Canada once again took on that role at the China International Import Expo earlier this month. Canada has sent its biggest-ever delegations to both expos. China has restored Canada’s Approved Destination Status and granted visa-free entry to Canadian ordinary passport holders, further boosting people-to-people exchanges and friendship between the two countries. These developments clearly demonstrate that improving and developing China-Canada relations benefits both peoples, enjoys broad public support in both countries and is the right choice consistent with the trend of history.

China and Canada are both advocates for multilateralism and free trade, and share common ground on many international issues. Our countries have been coordinating and cooperating within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and G20 to address global challenges. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework reflects the responsibility and commitment shown by China and Canada in working together to advance global environmental governance. Canada has actively participated in APEC China Year, and China supports Canada’s offer to host APEC in 2029. As this year’s APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Shenzhen approaches, we look forward to working with Canada to deepen exchanges, build consensus and expand cooperation, uphold true multilateralism and open regionalism, and ensure that APEC China Year delivers fruitful outcomes. We also look forward to injecting strong confidence and momentum into Asia-Pacific cooperation through sound and steady development of China-Canada relations, and jointly facilitating solid progress in building an Asia-Pacific community.