Beijing has again come under the global spotlight as the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be officially opened in the city on November 10, following a series of talks at different levels.

The meeting will bring together Chinese President Xi Jinping and leaders of other APEC economies to have in-depth discussions about the future of the forum as well as the development of the Asia-Pacific region.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the inception of APEC, which has grown from originally 12 economies to 21 now and become an influential regional dialogue mechanism.

It's a significant event for China as this is the second time for China to hold the important meeting. In October 2001 China's financial hub Shanghai hosted the ninth summit. It came shortly after the September 11 attacks amid the global economic slowdown. Later that year China was given accession to the World Trade Organization.

At that time, China's activities were largely focused on trivial regional issues. In 2001 China's foreign direct investment was only $2.7 billion. The country didn't devote the same energy to protecting overseas interests as today.

Some 13 years later when APEC meeting comes to China once again, the global landscape has witnessed tremendous changes such as the decline of the West and the rise of BRICS countries as well as other emerging economies.

China is not what it was. It has overtaken Japan as the second largest economy in the world and there has been notable growth in its comprehensive national strength. In 2013 its foreign direct investment jumped to $108 billion and is estimated to reach $120 billion this year.

With this increasing strength, China has learned to put itself in international scenarios and think with a global perspective, which shapes a remarkable feature of its current diplomacy.

It has become more active in taking part in international affairs, playing an increasingly important and influential role on the world stage.

As Foreign Minister Wang Yi put it, China has made greater efforts to ensure that its development can be mutually reinforcing with that of the rest of the world, and China will continue to work as a major responsible country in regional and international affairs.

The rise of any country will be faced with challenges. As China now is embroiled with some neighboring countries in territorial disputes over areas in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, some foreign observers claim that China has become more assertive. This is definitely a partial view.

But in the new era when new demands come up for it as a global power, China can play its role with a creative and involved approach. It should adopt a more flexible and wiser way to maintain dynamic in regional and global issues.

China should provide more public goods and make more global contributions by offering more aid to other parts of the world in need. For instance, in the recent Ebola outbreak, China has sent four rounds of economic aid to the epidemic-stricken West African countries, combined with experts and medical staff, to help fight against the deadly virus. It has also helped set up a treatment center in Liberia.

The APEC event serves as a good opportunity for China to give full play to its diplomacy as a host. It can provide proposals and voice its opinions in a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings to well display its role as a global power.

The article was compiled by Global Times reporter Sun Xiaobo based on an interview with Wang Yizhou, deputy dean of the School of International Studies at Peking University. sunxiaobo@globaltimes.com.cn