What is happening to the world? Where does the future lie? Where is humanity headed? Faced with these defining questions of our times, we may not be able to predict the future, but we can at least identify sources of certainty.
What will the future look like?
"Digital inclusion, shared responsibility for green development, pragmatism and inclusiveness, and harmonious coexistence among civilizations." This is how Chen Lin, president of Canada's SOLO Magazine, envisions the future.
Cao Mingquan, president of South Korea's Xinhua Paper, hopes to see "less confrontation and more cooperation, with people in all countries sharing the fruits of development."
In development, emerging industries are flourishing, developing countries are gaining new opportunities to catch up and 1.1 billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty. In technology, breakthroughs continue at the frontiers of innovation, from brain-computer interfaces and humanoid robots to drones crisscrossing city skies. In environmental protection, solar photovoltaic installations stretch across deserts, chemical industrial parks are lush with greenery, and rare birds fly freely. In governance, countries coexist peacefully and treat one another as equals, while different civilizations engage in exchanges and mutual learning and flourish together in harmony.
A smarter, greener, more open and inclusive future is taking shape.
How can we move toward that future?
Amid growing uncertainty, several themes are repeatedly talked about in conversations with international observers: development, security, civilization and global governance.
Luan Min, editor-in-chief of New Asia-Pacific Global in South Korea, believes that the convergence of digital, intelligent and green transitions will become new engines of growth.
Cao Mingquan hopes APEC will provide a stronger platform for dialogue, strengthen early-warning mechanisms and promote experience sharing.
Zhang Liang, president of the U.S.-based World Calligraphers and Painters Newspaper, believes that beyond economic and trade cooperation, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, particularly among young people, can sow the seeds of future cooperation.
Yuan Yan, deputy director of Washington Chinese TV, said she hopes APEC will oppose unilateralism and protectionism and uphold the rules of global governance.
Who will help lead the way?
"China is both a practitioner of transformation and a contributor to it," Chen Lin said. He noted that while advancing its own digital and green transitions, China has continued to share its technologies and experience in infrastructure development with the rest of the world.
As a builder of world peace, China remains committed to peaceful development and actively participates in UN peacekeeping operations and mediation on international hotspot issues. As a contributor to global development, China has helped deliver cooperation projects such as the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway and the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, which continue to inject fresh momentum into local development. As a defender of the international order, China advocates building a community with a shared future for mankind and has put forward the four global initiatives, contributing to global governance through concrete actions.
As online content creator Chen Yingling put it, "A true community is never about the absence of differences; it is about people who are different still choosing to seek the future together."
Authors | Dai Bosi, Zheng Yiling (intern)
Photo | Nanfang Plus
