Jakarta, May 19 -- China called on Asia-Pacific economies to actively explore the pathway toward Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) as a shared APEC vision for advancing economic integration in the region, complimented by flexible and pragmatic cooperation.

Opening the Second APEC Senior Officials' Meeting in Shanghai on Tuesday, China's Deputy Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said trade, connectivity, innovation, and development are mutually reinforcing pillars to advance discussions across these areas ahead of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting later this year.

He added China is working toward outcomes on FTAAP as well as trade digitization, cooperation in the service sector, and the list of environmental goods. He also expressed h...