Minister Wang Yi to Senior Officials: Build Asia-Pacific Community
Senior officials from across the Asia-Pacific concluded the first meeting cluster of 2026 in Guangzhou on Tuesday, as China formally opened its APEC host year with a renewed emphasis on openness, innovation and cooperation at a time of rising economic uncertainty.
Opening the First APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the international environment had entered a more volatile phase, posing growing challenges to economic growth and regional integration. Against this backdrop, he noted that “China fully recognizes that our third time as APEC host carries with it significant responsibilities as well as a glorious mission”.
“The success of the Asia-Pacific owes much to the stable environment we have collectively safeguarded and to our ability to align with the broader trend of economic globalization,” Minister Wang said.
“We should follow the ‘APEC way’ by building consensus through consultation, handling differences properly and keeping regional cooperation on the right track,” he added.
Minister Wang underscored that openness is the lifeblood of APEC economies, noting that the vast landmass and the expansive ocean offer limitless space for economic cooperation.
“We should strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination, uphold open regionalism, advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation” he said. “We should safeguard the WTO-centered multilateral trading system, leverage the guiding role of trade arrangements, foster greater connectivity among various regional free trade agreements and gather momentum toward a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP).”
Senior officials reviewed early-year work across more than 20 APEC committees and working groups, covering trade and investment, finance, digital policy, structural reform and economic and technical cooperation.
Discussions focused on translating shared priorities into practical outcomes, including promoting regional economic integration, strengthening supply chain resilience, facilitating cross-border flows and supporting the multilateral trading system.
Innovation featured as a second major pillar of this year’s agenda. Officials examined ways to accelerate digital transformation, deepen cooperation on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, and strengthen digital infrastructure and skills so that innovation-driven growth delivers broader and more inclusive benefits across economies.
Cooperation to support sustainable and inclusive development formed the third pillar of discussions, with work planned across a wide range of areas, including energy, food security, public health, small and medium-sized enterprises, women’s economic participation, population aging, anti-corruption and environmental challenges.
Minister Wang also emphasized the need for growth that is both beneficial and inclusive, noting that economic development should not come at the expense of leaving anyone behind or environmental integrity.
“We should strengthen economic and technological cooperation, scale up support for developing economies and ensure emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, benefit more people. We should put people first so that small businesses and vulnerable communities can share more in the fruits of development,” he said. “We must also promote green and low-carbon growth so that the Asia-Pacific advances along a path of long-term sustainability.”
Reflecting on the conclusion of the first meeting cluster, Ambassador Chen Xu, Chair of the APEC 2026 Senior Officials’ Meeting, said the Guangzhou meetings had laid a strong foundation for the year ahead.
“The senior officials’ meeting here will be the curtain raiser for the APEC China year,” Ambassador Chen said. “I’m confident that APEC China year will bring fresh momentum to the building of an Asia-Pacific community and inject new vitality to the development of our region.”
Senior officials’ meetings will continue later this year in Shanghai and Dalian, alongside a series of sectoral ministerial meetings leading up to the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in November.