China, APEC up cooperation packages

China stands ready to deepen cooperation with other APEC economies on cross-border e-commerce, green trade and agricultural product market access to expand opportunities through inclusive opening and pragmatic collaboration, said a senior customs official on Wednesday.

Speaking at a meeting during the First Senior Officials' Meeting and Related Meetings of APEC China 2026 in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, Zhao Zenglian, vice-minister of the General Administration of Customs, highlighted growing pressures on global and regional supply chains.

Zhao said that in response to common challenges, customs authorities of all APEC economies should enhance regulatory transparency, strengthen policy communication, optimize customs procedures and foster a more stable, fair, transparent and predictable business environment.

Customs data showed that China's total trade with other APEC economies reached 26.29 trillion yuan ($3.79 trillion) in 2025, accounting for 57.82 percent of the nation's overall foreign trade for the year. Over the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), China's cumulative trade with other APEC economies amounted to 125.49 trillion yuan, up 39.4 percent from the previous five-year period.

This expanding trade footprint has been accompanied by shifting transport patterns and a more diversified market structure. China's foreign trade with emerging economies such as members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Peru and Mexico maintained robust growth last year, said the administration.

Zhao said APEC economies should enhance the interoperability of digital infrastructure, and promote cross-border system connectivity and data exchanges to achieve wider and deeper interconnectivity.

Officials from other APEC economies echoed the need for closer, practical customs cooperation, emphasizing information sharing, digital connectivity and risk management to keep trade flowing.

Scott Butters, senior representative of the Australian Border Force, said stronger information sharing between Australia and China would facilitate faster and more efficient two-way trade while jointly identifying and managing risks so that both sides can respond promptly to potential concerns.

Brendan Pearce, counselor for customs affairs at the New Zealand embassy in Beijing, said that with rising trade and limited customs resources, the key question is how to use artificial intelligence to process more information efficiently so legitimate goods can move across borders more quickly and seamlessly.

Underpinning these trends, China's continued shift toward high-end manufacturing and modern services in 2025 pushed its exports of high-tech products to other APEC economies to 4.63 trillion yuan, up 8.1 percent year-on-year, led by electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and photovoltaic equipment, the GAC said.

The trend is also visible at the firm level. LM Wind Power Blades (Fujian) Co, a large-scale wind turbine blade manufacturer in Fuzhou, Fujian province, exported 17 batches of high-end wind turbine blades, with a total value of 650 million yuan in 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 88.9 percent in volume and 82.3 percent in value, maintaining strong growth momentum in other APEC markets, said Fuzhou Customs.

Feng Zili, the company's plant general manager in Fuzhou, said that as the global offshore wind power sector continues to expand rapidly — especially in many APEC economies — large, lightweight and highly reliable wind turbine blades are emerging as the industry mainstream.

CJ (Shenyang) Biotech Co Ltd, a feed supplier based in Shenyang, Liaoning province, and a subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate CJ Group, has seen market demand for feed additives in many APEC economies such as Australia, Mexico and Thailand continue rising in recent years.

Its exports of feed additives to other APEC economies reached 630 million yuan in 2025, soaring 45.4 percent year-on-year, Shenyang Customs said.

"We will further tailor our products and services to APEC markets to better tap their growth potential and build more stable, long-term partnerships with local customers," said Xiao Chuanhong, head of CJ (Shenyang) Biotech's export unit.

zhongnan@chinadaily.com.cn