China urged Asia-Pacific economies to coordinate on trade, digital rules and sustainable development at a ministerial meeting ahead of the Nov. 18-19 APEC leaders’ gathering in Shenzhen.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Commerce Minister Wang Wentao co-chaired the 37th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) foreign and trade ministers’ meeting by video from Beijing on Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry said. The session was part of China’s 2026 hosting year; the ministry said the country had held more than 300 related meetings and events.
Wang Yi said China would work with other APEC economies to bring its year as host to a successful close. The ministry’s readout outlined support for an open regional economy and multilateral trade, along with faster digital transformation, innovation and rules for the digital economy. It separately called for inclusive development and green, low-carbon development, while identifying energy and food security as priorities.
Wang Wentao pointed to mounting fragmentation in industry and supply chains, as well as sluggish global growth. He called for APEC members to coordinate responses that support development in the region and beyond.
At a Nov. 3 briefing, APEC Policy Support Unit Director Carlos Kuriyama projected 3.4% regional growth in 2026, up from 3.2% in 2025. An earlier APEC outlook identified energy costs, geopolitical tensions and trade-policy uncertainty as risks. At an Oct. 20 APEC finance ministers’ meeting, Chinese Finance Minister Lan Fo’an urged economies to coordinate policy and safeguard supply-chain links, according to a Hong Kong government account. That earlier push for APEC coordination preceded the foreign and trade ministers’ session.
Xinhua reported that this will be China’s third time hosting the APEC leaders’ meeting, after Shanghai in 2001 and Beijing in 2014. The leaders are scheduled to meet in Shenzhen on Nov. 18-19.
