China is seeking agreement on a declaration for next week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, with Beijing seeking practical results in trade, connectivity, the digital economy and artificial intelligence (AI).
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Friday that Beijing wants member economies to back a leaders’ declaration. She called for “more practical results” in trade, connectivity, the digital economy and AI.
Mao said Beijing expects those results to bolster prosperity across the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide. The United States is one of APEC’s 21 member economies, and the forum reaches decisions by consensus. A declaration therefore needs support across the membership, giving Washington a stake in the text agreed by leaders.
EconoTimes previously covered Beijing’s earlier call to prioritize trade and digital issues for the summit.
The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is scheduled for Nov. 18-19 in Shenzhen under the theme “Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together.”
