What to watch as Shenzhen prepares to host APEC leaders

Résumé détaillé

On November 18 and 19, leaders of the 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) will gather in Shenzhen, marking the third time China has hosted the…

On November 18 and 19, leaders of the 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) will gather in Shenzhen, marking the third time China has hosted the forum after Shanghai in 2001 and Beijing in 2014. Half a century ago, this was a cluster of farming and fishing villages. Now, it is one of the world's densest concentrations of technology companies, home to Huawei, Tencent, BYD and DJI.

The APEC Economic Leaders' Week runs from November 14 to 19. Senior officials and business representatives kick off the week's proceedings. The APEC CEO Summit follows on November 17 and 18, and the week culminates in the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting on November 18 and 19. Here is what to watch.

Flags bearing the "APEC CHINA 2026" logo flutter from lampposts above traffic on a major boulevard, with promotional banners and flowering plants along the central reservation in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, October 23, 2026. /VCG

China's host theme, endorsed by member economies last December, is "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together," resting on three priorities: openness, innovation and cooperation.

"Openness" is the loaded word this year, with tariffs and uncertainty buffeting trade and investment. Watch for progress on the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), APEC's long-standing vision of regional integration, where work has shifted from aspirational language to technical policy dialogues on trade digitalization, competition policy, state-owned enterprises and trade and labor provisions.

Watch, too, for an upgraded connectivity blueprint. The APEC Connectivity Blueprint for 2015-2025, adopted in Beijing in 2014, has run its course. APEC has established a Center of Excellence for Paperless Trade, and its research estimates that digitizing trade documents could cut trade transaction costs by 5.8%.

"Innovation" will center on artificial intelligence. Shenzhen picks up a thread from last year's meeting in Gyeongju, the Republic of…

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