Innovation important driving force for world development: Xi

Innovation is an important driving force that propels world development, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday.

Xi made the remarks while addressing the 28th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting in Beijing via video link.

"We need to commit ourselves to innovation-driven development, harness the power of the digital economy as a new growth engine, and spread the fruits of digital technologies to more people in our region," he said.

Efforts should be made to further develop the digital infrastructure, speed up digital transformation, strive to bridge the digital divide, and promote development of the digital economy in an all-round way, according to Xi.

China has put forward the initiative of Enhancing Implementation of APEC Connectivity Blueprint (2015-2025) in the Digital Era, Xi said.

"We support stronger international cooperation on the digital economy, and have applied to join the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA)," Xi said.