The 6th Western China International Forum took place in Chengdu, China on October 23, 2013 and State Council Deputy Prime Minister Wang Yang took part and delivered a keynote address. Other international leaders who participated and gave speeches include Australian Governor-General Quentin Bryce, Canadian Governor-General David Johnston, Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov, Mongolian Prime Minister Norovyn Altankhuyag, Tanzanian Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Tozik, French Senate Deputy Speaker and former Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, UNOPS Executive Director Jan Mattsson and NDRC Deputy Director-General Du Ying. Present at the meeting were leaders from 106 countries and regions as well as delegations from the Chinese ministries and the provinces, municipalities and cities.
Based on extensive and in-depth discussion, the attendees exchanged notes on the theme of “Equal development and collective prosperity”, agreeing on the following matters:
1. Regional integration is an inevitable trend to adaptation to a globalized economy, in which countries and regions, irrespective of geographical location, can link up to exchange development experience and discuss development programs. This is not only an important way of vitalizing the world economy and promoting cooperation and mutual development on a regional basis, but also an important alternative in the face of the existing worldwide pessimism about economic revival.
2. It is the common wish of the people in the world to see an equally-developing global economy which ends in the collective benefit, development and wellbeing of mankind. All the countries should join hands in a collective effort to commit their respective comparative advantages to close, pragmatic economic cooperation and a new, more equal global development partnership.
3. A country needs to devote itself to the collective prosperity of the society at large to be powerful. Collective prosperity works towards the wellbeing of the people. Meanwhile, equal development is a must for the achievement of regional integration, free trade, market integration and regional competitive advantages in an era of economic globalization.
4. Equal development and collective prosperity are founded on trust-based international cooperation. New economic opportunities are impossible without an extensive and enduring trust network. The level of interpersonal relationships across different countries is a determinant of extensive mutual success. The countries involved in pan-Asian economic & trade cooperation should devote more to innovative cooperation models at a new time point of history.
6. China’s Western China Development Strategy serves as a successful systemic model of regional equal development. Proven to be effective in changing the originally poverty-stricken and backward Western China and developing a larger domestic market, the strategy alleviated resource constraints, provided more potential for economic development and created gigantic opportunities for global enterprises. The example of China – powerful leadership of the Western China governments and hard work of the local people – can provide inspiration for how to achieve equal development among pan-Asian economies. Currently, the Western China International Forum is playing an indispensable role in pan-Asian integration.
The attendees agreed on issuing the Declaration on the Initiative of Further Pan-Asian Integration and Equal Development in support of collaboration and dedication to the following objectives:
1. Pan-Asian economies will continue to implement the declarations made during the past forums to ensure that the initiatives, goals and visions are materialized.
2. Pan-Asian economies will further trade cooperation by introducing new models, scopes and domains of cooperation. All the sides swear to press ahead with regional comprehensive economic partnership (RCEP), deepen economic cooperation across the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), further free trade and economic facilities, upgrade cross-border cooperation between the local governments of neighboring countries, and remove barriers in regional cooperation.
3. Pan-Asian economies will make every endeavor to bring about trade and investment opportunities conducive to equal development and a sustainable pan-Asian economy.
4. Pan-Asian economies swear to devote themselves to cutting the various forms of investment and trade cost to foster global comparative advantages.
5. More extensive trade and investment opportunities will be created in Western China, especially in the new wave of development. As local development speeds up in a golden age, pan-Asian integration based on equal development will be provided with consistent motive power.
6. Pan-Asian economies swear to pursue and apply the principle of equality and collective prosperity to leveraging their respective advantages for mutual support and assistance conducive to pan-Asian equal development.
7. In view of regional diversity and unbalance, pan-Asian economies are supportive of the initiative of establishing Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and, when the time is ripe, establishing a pan-Asian development bank or fund which serves as a financial bulwark for pan-Asian equal development. Besides, pan-Asian economies extend a warm welcome to the participation of more developed economies in the pan-Asian integration and equal development initiative.
8. Fully aware that world free trade, equal development, economic prosperity and human wellbeing are founded on peace, pan-Asian economies swear to team up to promote cross-border mutual trust, eliminate controversies and conflicts, increase exchanges at the youth level, increase cultural exchanges, cement longstanding friendship, uphold collective interests, oppose hegemony and terrorism in any form whatsoever, and respect diversity of beliefs, cultures, values and traditions. All the above commitments are intended to create a longstanding peaceful context for pan-Asian equal development.
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Exhibition
WCIF