HONG KONG, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- In a global economy beleaguered by alarming anti-globalization sentiment, rising protectionism and unilateralism, openness and cooperation are of vital significance and in dire need of fresh vitality.

In the year 2024, China has consistently endeavored to foster broader space for cooperation in Asia-Pacific, ensuring that the region remains a driving force for economic globalization.

CONNECTIVITY

Connecting towns, cities and countries with improved roads, railways and ports has long been a focus of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region have witnessed the tremendous changes brought about by upgraded transport infrastructure on people's livelihood.

In Indonesia, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, a landmark project as Southeast Asia's first high-speed rail built in cooperation with China, has transported a total of 5.79 million passengers since it was officially put into commercial operation on Oct. 17, 2023.

Affectionately called "Whoosh" for its remarkable speed, the rail has inspired profound changes in the towns and cities along the route. Businesses are thriving with more people coming to enjoy the ease of traveling between the country's two major cities at a speed of 350 km per hour.

Another transformative infrastructure project, the China-Laos Railway, linking Kunming of Southwest China's Yunnan Province and the Laotian capital of Vientiane, has significantly enhanced regional connectivity.

Three years into its operation, more goods, especially machinery, electronics and farm products, are moving across the border, thanks to a significant reduction of time and cost for freight transportation through the rail. "The railway connects Laos more directly with China, which is one of the world's largest consumer markets," Somsavanh, a fruit vendor in Vientiane, told Xinhua.

Chen Yunya, from a Chinese travel agency, said the railway has built a bridge of cultural exchange between China and neighboring countries. "An increasing number of travelers from Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Thailand, and Laos are taking the China-Laos Railway into China to visit Xishuangbanna," Chen noted, referring to a tourist spot in China's Yunnan Province.

As part of its efforts to facilitate global exchanges and mobility, and reaffirm its commitment to greater openness as the world's second-largest economy, China has expanded its unilateral visa-free arrangement to include more countries in 2024, including Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan in the Asia-Pacific region.

Meanwhile, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore have agreed with China respectively to waive travel visa requirements for each other's citizens, welcoming a travel boom driven by Chinese tourists in the Southeast Asian countries.

INNOVATION

Over the past decade, China has made strides in technology development, ranking 11th on the Global Innovation Index in 2024, and remains the only middle-income economy in the top 30.

As it reaches out to cultivate an open and innovative ecosystem in the region, China is contributing to the shaping of a green and digital Asia-Pacific, creating new engines for economic growth for the coming decades.

In Thailand, a key automotive production hub in Southeast Asia, Chinese carmaker BYD's factory was completed and began production in July, with an annual capacity of about 150,000 vehicles.

From exporting complete vehicles to building local factories, China's electric vehicle (EV) makers are venturing further, benefiting the local automotive industry and consumers while reducing carbon emissions and facilitating the energy transition.

China's leadership in the EV market not only fosters production collaboration between Thai automotive companies and Chinese manufacturers but also accelerates the growth of supply chain industries such as batteries and charging stations, supporting Thailand in building a full-fledged EV ecosystem, said Rachanida Nitipathanapirak, vice president of the Strategic Department at the Thailand Automotive Institute.

The Binh Duong factory in Vietnam was TCL's first completely self-built overseas factory and one of the largest digital production bases established by a Chinese TV brand in Southeast Asia. Following a "Made in Vietnam" strategy, TCL has invested over 100 million U.S. dollars in Vietnam, creating more than 10,000 jobs for the locals.

"As we gradually release production capacity, many of our domestic supply chain partners have followed us to Vietnam," said Xu Linjun, general manager of the Vietnam Base of TCL's Pan-Smart Screen BU Manufacturing Center. "Currently, nearly half of our raw materials are sourced locally, and in the future, we plan to build a comprehensive support center to establish a complete supply chain, creating a more robust upstream and downstream industrial chain."

TCL's founder and chairman, Li Dongsheng, emphasized the need to deepen the supply chain, saying, "We cannot just be a local assembling factory."

He believes the globalization of Chinese enterprises should shift from exporting products only to co-building industrial capabilities with local partners. That goal is to be achieved "by deeply rooting in the local economy and contributing to local development," Li said.

INCLUSIVE GROWTH

"This place was once barren, with nothing but dust blowing around all day," said 57-year-old Muhammad Iqbal, referring to a vibrant forest just a few yards away from the bustling Gwadar Port in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province.

"One day, a Chinese manager from China Overseas Port Holding Company told me that they were going to transform this land into a forest, and that is how it all began."

With joint efforts from both sides, more than 4,000 trees have been planted in the friendship forest in Gwadar. The once-empty plot has now blossomed into a lush sanctuary, providing beautiful scenery and fresh air to the people of Gwadar.

As a key component of the Chinese Ambassador's Green Employment Plan Project, the forest has also helped promote local employment and increased farmers' income in Gwadar.

Allah Buksh, another forester in the forest, said the trees and shrubs planted in the forest have provided a large amount of feed for the sheep farm. "Chinese staff has also taught local farmers techniques such as cuttings, grafting, scientific weeding, and fertilization to increase crop yields," he added.

Stepping up support for developing economies and disadvantaged groups to allow more economies and people to benefit from development has been China's vision for starting a new era of Asia-Pacific development.

Seruwaia Waiti Kabukabu, a 48-year-old Fijian woman, recalled clearly that she earned 2,500 Fijian dollars (around 1,120 dollars) from the first batch of mushrooms she grew, and bought appliances, mats, a cooking pot, food, and clothes for her family.

Sharing her story of learning mushroom farming through a decade-old China-aided technical project in the island country, Kabukabu said she was proud of being able to support her family by growing mushrooms and embracing the concept of sustainable development.

"We never thought this encounter would provide so many new opportunities for me and the women's group," said Kabukabu, who was a member of the Naitasiri Women in Dairy Group and now is chairwoman of the Fiji Mushroom Farmers Association. "It has changed the lives and careers of me and other women and made our dreams come true." ■