China proposes theme, priorities for 2026 APEC 'China Year'

SHENZHEN -- The APEC Informal Senior Officials' Meeting (ISOM) that took place in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, on Friday unanimously approved a Chinese proposal to set openness, innovation and cooperation as the three priorities for the APEC "China Year," and "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together" as its theme.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Symposium and ISOM, taking place Thursday and Friday, marks the first event organized by China as the host of the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, kicking off the APEC "China Year."

At an APEC meeting held in November in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, Chinese leader expressed the willingness to work with all parties to build an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future, advance the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, and promote practical cooperation in connectivity, the digital economy and artificial intelligence, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said at the ISOM.

China is willing to work with all parties to continue pursuing the goal of building an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future, strengthen regional economic cooperation, unlock the Asia-Pacific's growth potential, and jointly usher in a new era of development for the region, Ma added.

All participants highly appreciated China's efforts in promoting the Asia-Pacific community with a shared future, and expressed their willingness to actively support China in hosting the APEC meeting in 2026, jointly promote the success of the APEC "China Year," and make new contributions to promoting economic growth in the Asia-Pacific and the world.

The APEC Symposium and ISOM, attended by nearly 200 representatives from APEC member economies, secretariats, observers, academia and the business circles, also confirmed the schedule of meetings for the year.

APEC is the most important economic cooperation mechanism in the Asia-Pacific region. The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in Shenzhen in November 2026, and the Senior Officials' Meeting and APEC Ministerial Meeting will be held in various cities across China.