SINGAPORE, November 13, (RIA Novosti) - Chinese President Hu Jintao urged on Friday free trade and investment liberalization, and also urged Asian Pacific business and political leaders to oppose protectionism.
"We must continue to promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation and oppose protectionism in all its manifestations, particularly the unreasonable trade and investment restrictions imposed on developing countries," he said at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Singapore.
He also said that the global economic recovery from the economic crisis was not yet complete.
"We should continue to explore diverse ways to accelerate economic integration in the Asia-Pacific. We should promote economic structural reform with a focus on regulatory reform in a voluntary, flexible and pragmatic fashion," he went on.
He also called for innovations in science and technology as another way to overcome the consequences of the crisis.
APEC forum meetings began on Sunday and will culminate in a summit this weekend. APEC comprises 21 states, including Australia, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, Singapore, the United States, and Japan.
