Consolidate APEC consensus on business cooperation and work together to write a new chapter in Asia Pacific development

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is the highest level, widest range, and most influential economic cooperation mechanism in the Asia Pacific region. As a landmark event in the business sector of APEC's "China Year", the APEC Business Leaders' Forum on China, with the theme of "Openness, Connectivity, and Collaboration: Linking the Asia Pacific and Creating a Shared Future", was held in Beijing on the 21st. Around hot topics such as the Asia Pacific Free Trade Area, connectivity, and digital innovation, Asia Pacific politicians and business leaders have had in-depth exchanges, gathered consensus, and worked together to write a new chapter in the development of the Asia Pacific and the world.

The Asia Pacific region accounts for one-third of the world's population, over 60% of the global economy, and nearly half of trade. The world today is facing unfavorable factors such as weak economic growth and insufficient momentum for sustainable development. In this context, the prospects and development status of the Asia Pacific economy have attracted much attention.

The Asia Pacific business community is a pioneer of the times, a trailblazer of change, and a trendsetter. The more turbulent and intertwined the international situation is, the more we need to work together, break through the impasse, deepen cooperation, and achieve win-win results. "Ren Hongbin, President of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said that APEC member economies should firmly uphold the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization as the core, oppose unilateralism and protectionism, continue to promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, actively seek more points of convergence, work together to expand the economic and trade cake, and promote the development and prosperity of the Asia Pacific through mutual achievements.

The Asia Pacific Free Trade Area and the interconnected network are important foundations for regional economic integration. In 2026, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the vision of the Asia Pacific Free Trade Area proposed by APEC leaders, Eduardo Pedrosa, Executive Director of the APEC International Secretariat, stated that at this important juncture, the Asia Pacific business community should adhere to the original intention of cooperation, consolidate open consensus, steadily promote the process of regional economic integration, help APEC continuously improve the resilience of industrial and supply chains, and provide strong support for the recovery and growth of the global economy.

Lu Yiming, the US representative of the APEC Business Advisory Council and President of Boeing China, stated that the aviation industry is an important driving force for building a dense and interconnected network. Currently, there are about 14000 Boeing planes operating non-stop worldwide every day, transporting an average of 11 million passengers per day. In the next 20 years, it is expected that 60% of aircraft will be delivered to the APEC region. Improving connectivity in various fields will help promote economic and trade cooperation, cultural exchanges, and better empower global development.

Innovation is the wings of Asia Pacific economic takeoff and a new growth point for APEC business cooperation. Currently, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating breakthroughs, especially the rapid development of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, which has greatly changed the way global factor resources are allocated and industrial development is carried out. It has also created unlimited business opportunities for industrial cooperation in the Asia Pacific region.

Among the 16 global sponsors of the ongoing US Canada Mexico World Cup, Chinese companies occupy four seats, including photography equipment, broadcasting equipment, and materials for the fan festival exhibition area. As the official partner of the national football teams of Argentina, Spain, Germany, and the Czech Republic, TCL once again showcases the international influence of Chinese brands at international sports events.

"Over the past decade, China's manufacturing industry has carried out large-scale practices in intelligent manufacturing, industrial Internet, digital supply chain and artificial intelligence applications, and accumulated rich experience." Li Dongsheng, founder and chairman of TCL, said that in the face of the still existing development differences and digital divide in the Asia Pacific region, China's advanced manufacturing enterprises have the responsibility and ability to drive the overall upgrading of the local industrial chain through experience sharing, capacity building, and ecological synergy, empower the latecomers in the region and promote regional common development.

Seeing the application of artificial intelligence in industrial production, financial services, energy transformation and other fields in China, Sepi, CEO of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, said that with the opening of the application curtain, artificial intelligence will "light up" more fields and people's lives. In this context, APEC economies need to bridge the digital gap, fully unleash the multiplier effect of digital innovation technologies represented by artificial intelligence, help cultivate new economic growth points in the Asia Pacific region, and jointly create a more resilient and dynamic Asia Pacific digital economy ecosystem.