Photo：CCTV

When asked whether the Chinese leader would attend the upcoming APEC meeting in the US later this year, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told at a press conference on Tuesday that as the world's largest developing country and an important member of APEC, China is willing to meet the expectations of the international community and play a constructive role in ensuring the success of this year's meeting. 

China is a responsible country, and never absent from important multilateral forums in which China participates, Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, told the press conference as the Chinese government released a white paper, titled "A Global Community of Shared Future: China's Proposals and Actions."

"Regarding the matter of attending the APEC event that you mentioned, we are in communication with relevant parties and will release formal information in due course," he said. 

Whether the Chinese leader will attend this year's APEC meeting has been under the close attention of the Western media, because if the trip can be made, it would also be an occasion for the face-to-face meeting between the Chinese and the US top leaders amid intensifying tensions between the world's two largest economies. 

APEC is the most influential economic cooperation mechanism in the Asia-Pacific region, both in terms of its high level and broad scope, Wang said. The 13th informal leaders' meeting, scheduled for later this year, should serve as a grand stage for promoting cooperation, instead of an arena for provoking confrontation. 

"We hope that the US, as the host, will recognize its responsibilities and demonstrate openness, fairness and inclusiveness, creating better conditions for the smooth convening of the meeting," China's top diplomat said. 

When John Lee, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), met with the press before attending the Executive Council meeting on Tuesday morning, he was asked about receiving an invitation to the APEC summit. 

Lee said he was still awaiting an invitation. The organizer, referring to the US, should extend invitations to the leaders of the respective economies. The HKSAR government would attend in accordance with standard rules and procedures, he said. 

In response to media reports about the US, due to sanctions on a number of Chinese officials, will not invite CE of the HKSAR to APEC, toward which, the Chinese Foreign Ministry had expressed  firm opposition and made serious démarches to the US.

Multilateral diplomacy serves as a crucial basis for China's participation in global governance and the promotion of a global community of shared future, and is, of course, an important platform for conducting head-of-state diplomacy, Wang noted. 

"President Xi Jinping places great importance on multilateral diplomacy and China's role in global governance is increasingly prominent, and to sum up our stance on global governance, we advocate and practice genuine multilateralism," he said. 

We believe that in order to build a global community of shared future, we must oppose all forms of unilateralism, confrontations between blocs, and power politics. It's crucial to staunchly uphold the authority and status of the United Nations and to adhere to a global governance perspective that emphasizes consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits, Wang expounded. "Global affairs should be addressed collectively, and the achievements should be shared by all."

The white paper released on Tuesday is composed of five chapters including "Humanity at a crossroads," "An answer to the call of the times and a blueprint for the future," "Deep roots in history and cultural traditions," "Direction and path" and "China's action and contribution."