On the morning of September 16, 2010, the fifth APEC Human Resources Development Ministerial Meeting opened grandly in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing. Chinese President Hu Jintao attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech entitled Deepen Exchanges and Cooperation for Inclusive Growth. He stressed that cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region faces unprecedented opportunities. APEC members should work together and make the best use of the APEC cooperation platform to deepen and broaden cooperation, move toward the objective of enduring peace and common prosperity for the benefit of people in the Asia-Pacific and the world at large.
He first of all extended warm congratulations on the opening of the meeting and sincere welcome to all delegates on behalf of the Chinese government and people.
He emphasized that the outbreak of international financial crisis and our efforts of dealing with the crisis make us understand more deeply that all countries and regions must strengthen exchanges and cooperation and work together to address the underlying and structural issues of economic development in order to ensure sustained global economic growth and effectively tackle the risks and challenges faced by the world economy in an era of deepening economic globalization. To realize inclusive growth, resolve the social problems emerging from economic development and lay a solid social foundation for trade promotion, investment facilitation and long-term economic development are major topics which the APEC member economies should work on together.
He pointed out that the ultimate goal of inclusive growth is to make all the people to benefit from economic globalization and growth and realize balanced economic and social progress through sustainable development. We should develop the economy, transform the economic development pattern, improve the efficiency of economic development and increase social wealth so that our people can live a better life. We should pursue social fairness and justice, ensure people have equal access to development opportunities and eradicate obstacles that keep our people from participating in economic development or sharing the fruits of economic development. We should put people first, ensure and improve people's livelihood and make sure that development is for the people and by the people and development fruits are shared among the people.
He raised four points of proposal on the theme of the meeting. First, give priority to human resources development. We should be committed to the concept that human resources are the number one resources in economic and social development and should speed up efforts to form strategies that give priority to human resources development. We should focus on readjusting the structures of human resources and investing in human resources development and boost the innovation power and wisdom of all kinds of human resources. Second, implement the strategy of full employment, make full employment the priority goal of economic and social development, implement the strategy of expanding employment to maximize employment and development opportunities for workers and ensure full employment of the people. Third, improve the quality and competence of our workers, formulate a guiding system, training system, evaluation system and incentive system to help workers improve their professional and technical skills, guide workers to improve moral and educational qualification, obtain new knowledge, skills and know-how and become high-quality workers to meet the needs of economic and social development in the new era. Fourth, build a social security system that ensures sustainable development, establish the social security system covering both urban and rural residents, increase government budget input in social security, expand the coverage of social insurance and improve social security level.
He stressed that practical and win-win cooperation is critical for APEC member economies to achieve common development. Member economies should strengthen economic and technical cooperation, advance regional trade and investment liberalization, narrow the development gap among member economies and realize common prosperity; broaden cooperation in human resources development and give priority to helping developing members in human resources development. He announced that China has decided to launch the APEC Skills Development Promotion Project together with other APEC member economies in order to boost APRC cooperation on human resources.
He pointed out that China is an active supporter and practioner of inclusive growth. Its pursuit of scientific development and social harmony complies with the connotation of inclusive growth. We focus on accelerating the change of economic development pattern and maintaining stable and relatively fast economic growth and at the same time will combine economic development with improvement of people's livelihood closely. Starting from solving the problems concerning our people's immediate, direct and real interest, we will advance social progress giving top priority to improving the people's livelihood. We will continue to pursue the scientific concept of development, deepen reform and opening up, comprehensively push forward economic, political, cultural, social and ecological civilization development, promote a balanced modernization drive, increase material wealth in the society, improve people's living standard and realize the coordinated and sustainable economic and social progress.
Prior to the opening ceremony, Hu met with the heads of delegations of APEC member economies and took group photos with them.
Member of the Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee and Vice-Premier of the State Council Zhang Dejiang and State Councilor Dai Bingguo were present at the above-mentioned activities.
With the theme of "Developing Human Resources, Vigorously Promoting Employment and Realising Inclusive Growth", the meeting was attended by delegates from 21 APEC member economies, APEC Secretariat, APEC Business Advisory Council and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council. Officials from related departments of the Chinese government also participated in the meeting.