Senior Officials Advance Trade, Connectivity and Innovation Agenda in Shanghai

Senior officials from APEC economies convened for their second meeting of the year in Shanghai against a backdrop of growing global economic uncertainty, with discussions focused on openness, innovation and cooperation as the region seeks to sustain growth and deepen regional integration.

Opening the Second APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting, China’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said APEC economies must continue working together to preserve openness, deepen connectivity and foster innovation-driven growth.

“We live in a world fraught with change and turbulence. Rising unilateralism and protectionism, spillovers of geopolitical conflicts and worsening energy and food crises have cast a shadow on global economic prospects,” said Deputy Minister Ma.

“Defying external risks and challenges, the Asia-Pacific has maintained the momentum of fast development, and its status as the growth engine of the world is even more prominent,” he added.

Deputy Minister Ma framed trade, connectivity, innovation and development as mutually reinforcing pillars underpinning efforts to advance discussions across these areas ahead of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting later this year.

On trade, Deputy Minister Ma called for practical progress toward the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), describing it as a key pathway for advancing economic integration in the region through flexible and pragmatic cooperation.

He added that China is working toward a standalone outcome document on FTAAP and looked forward to discussions at the Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting in Suzhou later this week aimed at building greater consensus.

Deputy Minister Ma underscored the importance of connectivity as a foundation for economic integration in the region, saying economies are working toward an upgraded APEC Connectivity Blueprint as a standalone outcome for the leaders’ meeting later this year to support more interconnected and coordinated development across the Asia-Pacific.

“We are also advancing initiatives in areas such as smart customs, smart transportation, tourism facilitation and the APEC Business Travel Card to further strengthen physical, institutional and people-to-people connectivity.”

Digital transformation and artificial intelligence are also expected to feature prominently throughout the meeting as economies explore how emerging technologies are reshaping industries, trade and labor markets.

“With the extensive application of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, the Asia-Pacific is playing an even more prominent role in driving economic growth,” Ma said. “We should build on existing cooperation and develop a roadmap for innovation-driven growth for artificial intelligence and the digital economy.”

He also stressed that APEC cooperation must continue delivering tangible benefits for people across the region through practical cooperation in areas including energy security, small and medium-sized enterprises, health, ageing, anti-corruption and human resources development.

“We should prioritize economic development and better lives for the people, increase the sense of gain of businesses and ordinary people, and gain broader public support for an Asia-Pacific community,” Deputy Minister Ma noted.