Xi's Shenzhen visits show China's commitment to reform and opening up

Detailed summary

In November 1991, China officially joined APEC. Thirty-five years later, China is bringing APEC to Shenzhen, the very place where China's opening up to the world began, and as global leaders gather to explore ways to advance development, the world will see China's opening up to the world taking on new dimensions.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to attend the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen, in south China's Guangdong Province, marking his fourth visit to the birthplace of the country's market-based reforms.

Selected in the late 1970s as a testing ground for China's transition to a more open and market-driven economy, Shenzhen benefited from its proximity to Hong Kong and Macao and its access to maritime trade routes. It has since transformed from a small fishing village into a key driver of China's economic development.

Over the years, Xi has made three visits to Shenzhen. Though each of his visits came at a different stage of the city's and the nation's development, they shared a common thread: China's commitment to pressing ahead with reform and opening up.

Chinese President Xi Jinping places a floral tribute at the bronze statue of Deng Xiaoping in Lianhuashan Park, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, on October 14, 2012. /Xinhua

Spearheaded by former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, reform and opening up marked a watershed moment that fundamentally reshaped China's economic and social fabric.

Launched in December 1978, the policy steered the country away from a centrally planned economy toward a market-oriented system, unleashing entrepreneurial energy and igniting a nationwide economic boom.

Much has been achieved. In 1978, China's gross domestic product (GDP) was 367.9 billion yuan, or $149.5 billion, according to World Bank data, which is also cited by the National Bureau of Statistics of China. In just under 50 years, China has developed into the world's second-largest economy, with its GDP reaching 140.19 trillion yuan ($20.4 trillion).

Recognizing the role of reform and opening up in driving this transformation, Xi has repeatedly emphasized the need to uphold and carry forward its legacy. In December 2012, just a month after Xi became the general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, he chose Shenzhen as the first stop of his…

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