MNI BRIEF: A United Asia Needed Amid Uncertainty - Premier Li

Asian countries must jointly create a global growth center and strengthen regional connections to provide certainty for the changing world, China Premier Li Qiang said during Thursday's opening ceremony of the Boao Forum For Asia Annual Conference 2023.

Asian countries should enhance the coordination of macro policies and implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement to form a more open and unified market, and cooperate in wider fields such as digital and the green economy, Li said.

China's economy has recovered robustly so far in 2023, with consumption and investment improving, he noted. China will further expand market access and optimise the business environment for overseas investors, Li commented.

The country will continue to prevent any significant financial and systemic risk, he said. China's modernisation, with its 1.4 billion population, will be a strong engine for Asian and global economic growth, Li concluded.