Minister Wang Yi and minister Wang Wentao outlined priorities for regional economic cooperation and integration.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members to work towards a successful outcome at the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, scheduled to take place in Shenzhen, China, in November. He made the remarks on 3 November 2026 while co-chairing the 37th APEC Ministerial Meeting via video conference with Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao in Beijing.
Minister Wang Yi said China was prepared to work with all parties during the final stage of the 2026 APEC “China Year” to ensure the upcoming leaders’ meeting delivered fruitful results. He described the meeting as an important occasion concerning the future development of the Asia-Pacific region.
China will host the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Shenzhen, marking its third time hosting the gathering following Shanghai in 2001 and Beijing in 2014. The theme for the 2026 meeting is “Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together”, with openness, innovation and cooperation identified as the three priority areas for this year’s APEC activities.
According to Minister Wang Yi, more than 300 meetings and events had been held during the APEC “China Year”, generating a series of cooperation outcomes. He called on member economies to uphold mutual respect, deepen solidarity, maintain an open environment and sustain regional economic integration.
He also highlighted the need to develop an innovation ecosystem, cultivate new sources of economic growth, expand cooperation opportunities and pursue sustainable development. Minister Wang Yi said China was ready to work with all members to make substantive progress towards building an Asia-Pacific community.
Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao highlighted the challenges facing the international economy, including growing risks of fragmentation in industrial and supply chains and sluggish global economic growth. He called on APEC economies to uphold free trade, promote innovation-driven development and advance discussions on digital and intelligent economic and trade rules.
Minister Wang Wentao also emphasised the importance of building a fair and equitable international economic and trade order. He stated that China would remain committed to high-level opening up, implement national treatment for foreign-funded enterprises and encourage open-source development and cooperation in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
Representatives of APEC economies and other participants welcomed the progress achieved during the APEC “China Year” and expressed their willingness to work with China towards the successful organisation of the November leaders’ meeting.
Source: China Xinhua News
