BOAO, March 3 (ZXS) -- "Asia is the region with the most dynamic economic development in the world. Three-quarters of the drivers of global economic growth come from Asia. Zeng Peiyan, Vice Chairman of the Advisory Committee of the Boao Forum for Asia and former Vice Premier of the State Council of China, said at the sub-forum "Regional Cooperation in Asia: New Opportunities, New Challenges" of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 29 held on the 29th.

In 2023, the world pattern has been deeply adjusted, geopolitical confrontations have deepened, and economic recovery has been difficult. In today's "uncertain world", Asia, with its solid economic growth, has become a bright spot. How can regional cooperation in Asia be promoted so that it can bring more stability and certainty to the world? Scholars and entrepreneurs from many countries offered suggestions at the forum.

Building a peaceful and secure Asia

"Asia is our place of life, and peace and stability are not only very important for Asia, but also can play the role of a global fixed star or ballast stone." Zeng Peiyan said.

He said that the current world economic situation is not optimistic. Some countries have constantly fanned the flames, advocated "broken chains and decoupling", and engaged in Cold War camp-type confrontation, which has had an impact on the global order and the legitimate interests of various countries.

Peace is a prerequisite for development. Zeng Peiyan called for the establishment of a peaceful and secure Asia. Asian countries should abandon the Cold War mentality, replace zero-sum games with dialogue and cooperation, replace closed exclusivity with openness and inclusiveness, replace solipsism with exchanges and mutual learning, resist "choosing sides" and confrontation between "small groups" and "small circles", and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.

ASEAN Secretary-General Gao Jinhong also said that the founding members of ASEAN firmly believe that for the stable development of the region, the most important thing is unity and cooperation and peaceful efforts. ASEAN will continue its efforts to promote regional peace and stability and safeguard mutually beneficial cooperation among countries.

Promote the quality and upgrading of RCEP

"Since last year, although the global economy has faced many challenges and various crises, Asian regional cooperation has still made positive progress, and the process of Asian economic integration represented by the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has been advancing rapidly, which has become a source of power to promote regional trade, investment and economic development, which has made the Asian region withstand the impact well." Gu Xueming, president of the Institute of International Trade and Economics of the Ministry of Commerce of China, pointed out.

As the world's largest free trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has been in force for more than a year. Zeng Peiyan mentioned that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has continuously expanded the scale of trade between member countries and continuously optimized trade institutions, bringing tangible policy dividends.

"Although RCEP plays a great role in promoting regional trade, it is not an end to cooperation among Asian countries." Zhang Yuyan, director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the next step can be to think about what RCEP should do.

The first is the stock perspective. At present, there are already 20 agreements, and it is necessary to make good use of the existing policies and do a solid job in implementing the existing things. The second is the incremental angle. Compared with some other trade and investment agreements, some contents of RCEP are still not included, such as environmental protection and management of state-owned enterprises.

"The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is richer and higher, and we cannot stop at the current level, we must continue." Zhang Yuyan said.

Gao Jinhong also mentioned that the ASEAN Secretariat is considering continuing to promote the access agreement so that RCEP can achieve further development and landing in 2023.

Meet multiple challenges to drive sustainable development

To achieve common prosperity and act as a stabilizer of the global economy, Asian countries should also actively respond to regional difficulties and challenges.

Gao Jinhong mentioned that at present, ASEAN member countries are facing many challenges such as climate change, aging population, and possible public health crises. In this context, ASEAN should work to promote green and sustainable development, create a new economic model, and enhance its protection capacity through enhanced cooperation.

"ASEAN has established a carbon neutrality strategy and will clarify the path to achieve carbon neutrality, continue to attract green investment, and create more sustainable development opportunities." Gao Jinhong said.

As a representative of the company, Zhang Jianqiu, senior CEO of Yili Group, said that Yili also adheres to the concept of sustainability and promotes green development in the process of cooperation with other Asian countries.

According to him, through the use of green electricity, Yili's base in Indonesia saves 121.8000 million kWh of electricity and reduces carbon emissions by more than 20,<> tons per year. During last year's G<> summit, Yili also carried out a coral reef ecological restoration project in Indonesia to help diversify protection. (End)