APEC leaders make strides in Honolulu

China voice: Country will play by rules

China will play by the rules of international agreements that it has been party to negotiating, Pang Sen, a deputy director-general of the Foreign Ministry, said last Sunday.

Pang’s remarks were a clear rebuttal to US President Barack Obama, who earlier said that China should play by the rules of the international community in economic affairs.

“We have to know whose rules we are talking about,” Pang said.

“If the rules are made collectively through agreement and China is a part of it, then China will abide by them. If rules are decided by one or even several countries, China does not have the obligation to abide by that,” Pang said at a news conference after the APEC summit in Honolulu.

Pang also said that the country would “earnestly study” the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations.

President Hu Jintao pledged on Sunday that China will boost both imports and domestic demand as the world’s second-largest economy embraces a more balanced economic structure.

He called on regional countries to change their growth model to better meet the challenge of a struggling global economy.

Addressing APEC leaders, Hu said sustainable growth was vital for economic recovery and long-term development.

“We should speed up the shifting of the growth model and adjust the economic structure,” he said.

Hu said that developed countries should adopt responsible macroeconomic policies and properly handle sovereign debt and fiscal risks. Emerging markets, he added, should boost domestic demand and promote growth through the combined forces of consumption, investment and exports.

Analysts said that Hu’s speech sent a clear message that China is committed to economic cooperation, both regionally and further afield.

(Agencies)