Foreign experts on China's role in APEC

Some experts attending the APEC 20th Anniversary High-Level Symposium in Singapore on Tuesday spoke highly of China's role in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, saying China has been playing a "constructive role".

In an interview with Xinhua, Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the LeeKuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, said the main reason why the APEC has been so successful was because of China's presence.

"Without China's presence, the APEC would not be so successful. The APEC needs China's presence," he said.

"Within the APEC, China has played a constructive role, attending the meetings, using the APEC as a base to build bridges across the Asia-Pacific," he added.

He also noted that the APEC has been an important bridge in "building trust and understanding between the United States and China."

He said, then U.S. President Bill Clinton and then Chinese President Jiang Zemin met at the first APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in the U.S. city of Seattle in 1993. The two leaders built personal comfort relationship after the meeting.

Since then, the Chinese and U.S. leaders often met on the sidelines of the APEC meetings, which promoted the mutual trust and understanding between the two countries, he added.

Lord Charles Powell, chairman of the Business School at Oxford University, also told Xinhua that as a large and active member of the APEC, China has played a positive role.

"Without China, the APEC would not be a 'world heavy organization.' China is playing a wider and positive role in Asia," said Powell.

Source: Xinhua