During the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China’s Shenzhen City will host the 2026 APEC meeting. CGTN has published an analysis of China’s initiatives to promote regional connectivity and digital economy development, examining how China will take the opportunity of hosting the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting for the third time to forge a sustainable and brighter future together.
The southern Chinese city of Shenzhen will host the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in November 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at the APEC chairmanship handover session of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, the Republic of Korea, on Saturday.
Shenzhen, located along the Pacific coast, is known for its rapid growth into a modern metropolis, emerging as a smart manufacturing and tech powerhouse after becoming a testing ground for China’s reform and opening up in the late 1970s.
Next year’s APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting will be the third time China has hosted the event, with previous hosting roles in 2001 and 2014.
Hailing Shenzhen’s rise as an important window to China’s pursuit of a mutually beneficial and win-win opening up strategy, Xi said China is willing to seize the opportunity of hosting the 2026 APEC meeting to work with all parties to focus on advancing the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), as well as practical cooperation in areas such as connectivity, the digital economy and artificial intelligence, to inject greater vitality and momentum into Asia-Pacific development and deliver more benefits to the people of the region.
Since joining APEC in 1991, China has worked to promote the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region.
During the 2014 APEC meeting in Beijing, China proposed a roadmap for achieving an FTAAP and launched an initiative for regional connectivity. In recent years, China’s cooperation with the Asia-Pacific region has deepened significantly, yielding tangible results. From January to September 2025, China’s trade with other APEC economies grew by 2 percent year on year, reaching a total of 19.4 trillion yuan (about $2.7 trillion).
China’s approach to regional collaboration has won support, a recent CGTN poll suggests. Over 80 percent of respondents expressed support for China’s proposal to build an open, inclusive, innovation-driven, interconnected and mutually beneficial Asia-Pacific community with a shared future.
Noting that the world faces lackluster economic growth and a widening gap in global development amid challenges such as climate change and energy security, Xi called on APEC economies to make good use of new opportunities, confront new challenges, and forge a sustainable and brighter future together during the second session of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting.
To realize these objectives, Xi outlined three proposals: further unleashing the potential of digital and smart development, staying committed to green and low-carbon development, and building an inclusive and universally beneficial future.
These ideas are already taking shape. China has proposed the establishment of a World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, submitted its 2035 Nationally Determined Contributions on climate response, and funded the establishment of the APEC Support Fund – Sub-fund on Promoting Digitalization for Green Transitions.
In the future, China will work with other APEC members to bridge the digital and AI divide in the Asia-Pacific region and continue implementing relevant initiatives on clean energy and green transition, Xi said.
Eduardo Pedrosa, executive director of the APEC Secretariat, lauded China’s contribution to a new chapter for the Asia-Pacific region through pragmatic cooperation, adding that it will inject powerful energy into building a mutually beneficial Asia-Pacific community.
Pedrosa expressed optimism for the future, noting that joint efforts among all APEC members will help lead economic globalization through challenges, opening a new chapter in regional prosperity and development.
As China prepares to host APEC for the third time next year, Xi said he looks forward to all parties gathering in Shenzhen to discuss development plans for the Asia-Pacific and create a bright future for the region.
