BEIJING: Representatives from 115 Fortune Global 500 companies will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong Province, on November 17 and 18, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) said on Sunday. This turnout reflects businesses across the region seeking new opportunities and stability for cross-border trade amid rising protectionism.
The summit is expected to host more than 2,000 participants from business, government and the media. Twelve leaders of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation economies will attend the APEC CEO Summit 2026. Heads of international organizations and business associations from economies including the US, Russia and Japan are also expected to attend, a spokesperson from the CCPIT said.
The breadth of participation highlights one of APEC’s strengths, Hu Qimu, a professor at the Maritime Silk Road Institute of Huaqiao University, told the Global Times. It brings together the world’s two largest economies alongside both developed and developing economies at different stages of growth. “Industries at different stages of development, markets of different types, and economies of varying sizes can all find opportunities for cooperation,” Hu said.
China’s APEC host year focuses on openness, innovation and cooperation, under the theme “To Prosper and Win the Future Together.” The CEO Summit agenda will address critical topics such as the proposed Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, connectivity, the digital economy and sustainable development. These discussions build on substantial trade ties. In the first three quarters of 2026, China’s trade with other APEC economies rose by 23.9 percent year on year to 24.07 trillion yuan ($3.6 trillion), accounting for 60.3 percent of its total foreign trade, customs data showed.
This will mark the third time China hosts the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, following Shanghai in 2001 and Beijing in 2014. Former Singaporean foreign minister George Yeo told the Global Times that holding the meeting in Shenzhen was “symbolically important.”
He noted that it underscores China’s commitment to reform and opening-up while also highlighting the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
For businesses, Hu noted that bringing policymakers and executives together provides an opportunity for economies with different development priorities to identify overlapping commercial interests. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
