APEC ministers urge greater openness, connectivity across Asia-Pacific

• 37th APEC Ministerial Meeting

SINGAPORE – Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) foreign and trade ministers have called for stronger economic integration, more resilient supply chains and closer cooperation on emerging technologies as the region confronts growing pressure on trade and investment.

Meeting virtually on Tuesday for the 37th APEC Ministerial Meeting, ministers reviewed progress under China’s 2026 host year and discussed ways to strengthen regional cooperation ahead of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Shenzhen on 19 November.

Co-chaired by China’s foreign minister Wang Yi and minister of commerce Wang Wentao, the meeting brought together discussions on two closely linked challenges: sustaining an open and connected Asia-Pacific economy, as well as finding new sources of growth as technological change reshapes industries and trade.

Opening the meeting, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi pointed to APEC’s record of cooperation through financial crises, natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, urging economies to draw on that experience to confront today’s economic challenges.

“As history tells us, solidarity is the underpinning for stability and prosperity in this region. Under new circumstances, we should continue to respect each other, deepen solidarity and collaboration,” minister Wang Yi said, while identifying the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), a long-term APEC aspiration to deepen regional economic integration, as well as stronger connectivity, as the two drivers of regional economic integration, urging economies to maintain momentum toward freer trade and investment.

This includes supporting the World Trade Organization-centered multilateral trading system, improving infrastructure links and aligning policies and regulations to make it easier for goods, people, capital and data to move across borders.

Minister Wang Yi also called for greater cooperation on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, arguing that innovation must translate into new sources of economic growth.

“The prosperity of this region should leave no one behind,” minister Wang Yi added.

China’s commerce minister Wang Wentao, who chaired the second session, warned that shifting industrial supply chains and uneven progress in digital and green transformation risk widening economic disparities.

“The international situation features turbulence and transformation, risks of industrial supply chain fragmentation are on the rise, and the global economy remains sluggish,” minister Wang Wentao said. He urged APEC economies to reduce trade and investment barriers, strengthen policy coordination and explore more flexible approaches to regional economic integration.

Among the priorities outlined at the meeting were improving supply chain connectivity, strengthening port infrastructure and single-window systems, and accelerating the digitalization of trade procedures to reduce costs and improve efficiency.

Minister Wang Wentao also called for closer cooperation on digital trade and AI-related policies, including practical projects that help businesses adopt emerging technologies and participate in the digital economy. He emphasised that cooperation must also address differences in development and technological capabilities, including through capacity-building initiatives that help developing economies participate more effectively in regional and global trade.

The ministerial discussions followed a year of APEC meetings and initiatives under China’s three priorities of openness, innovation and cooperation, spanning trade facilitation, digital transformation, supply chain resilience and sustainable growth.

The discussions will contribute to preparations for the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in two weeks’ time, where leaders are expected to consider the region’s economic challenges and priorities for future cooperation.