Kathmandu— Beijing is framing Chinese modernization as a source of new opportunities for the Asia-Pacific as it hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit this year, with Xinhua emphasizing openness, innovation and cooperation as the three pillars linking China's development to regional prosperity. The commentary, published Sept. 5, notes that the Asia-Pacific Media Forum 2026 is bringing media representatives together to discuss regional development and how growth opportunities can translate into broader prosperity.

Openness Expands Regional Trade Links

The commentary says Chinese modernization is taking place in an economy deeply integrated with the Asia-Pacific. China accounts for more than a quarter of APEC's combined GDP, while its trade and investment ties with regional economies continue to strengthen.

Trade between China and ASEAN reached 7.55 trillion yuan, or more than 1 trillion U.S. dollars, in 2025, up 8 percent year-on-year, with ASEAN remaining China's largest trading partner. As Chinese consumers demand more diverse goods and services and Chinese industries continue to upgrade, the commentary argues that openness allows China's development to generate demand and opportunities beyond its borders.

Innovation Drives New Growth Possibilities

Chinese modernization is being driven by technological progress and the green and digital transformation of the economy, according to the commentary. In 2025, China's expenditure on research and development reached 3.93 trillion yuan, or about 551 billion dollars, up 8.1 percent from the previous year and equivalent to 2.8 percent of GDP.

For the Asia-Pacific, the significance of such innovation goes beyond the technologies themselves, the commentary says. A vast market and strong industrial capacity can help turn new technologies into products and applications on a large scale. As green and digital technologies become more widely applied, they can create new demand, new industries and new opportunities for businesses across the region. This is closely aligned with APEC's own innovation agenda, as APEC economies are discussing open innovation, cross-border knowledge flows and cooperation in areas including artificial intelligence, digital transformation and green development.

Cooperation Aims for Shared Gains

No economy can address today's development challenges alone, the commentary states. For the Asia-Pacific, where economies differ widely in their levels of development, industrial structures and capabilities, cooperation can help turn differences into complementarity and make development more inclusive.

Chinese modernization places strong emphasis on coordinated development and common prosperity. In practice, China's manufacturing capacity, technological advances and large market can complement the resources, industries and markets of other Asia-Pacific economies, creating more room for trade, investment and industrial cooperation. The region's diversity need not be a divide, the commentary says. With cooperation, it can become a source of strength.

The commentary concludes that as APEC economies look ahead, openness can widen access to markets, innovation can open up new sources of growth, and cooperation can turn differences into shared strengths, helping translate development opportunities into tangible benefits for people across the region.

(With inputs from Xinhua)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.