China takes over as host of 2026 APEC CEO Summit

The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) officially took over as the host of next year's APEC CEO Summit on Friday.

Ren Hongbin, chairman of the CCPIT, led a delegation of more than 100 Chinese business leaders to attend the 2025 APEC CEO Summit held in Gyeongju, the Republic of Korea (ROK), from Wednesday to Friday.

At the closing ceremony of the 2025 APEC CEO Summit, Ren received the summit's chairmanship from Chey Tae-won, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), officially taking over as the host of the APEC CEO Summit 2026 on behalf of the CCPIT.

The CEO summit is a key part of the annual gathering of leaders and senior officials from the APEC member economies.

Themed "Bridge, Business, Beyond", this year's CEO summit brought together more than 1,000 representatives from various APEC economies to discuss regional economic integration, sustainability, artificial intelligence, digital innovation, global finance, biomedicine and other topics.

South China's tech hub of Shenzhen City will host the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced Saturday at the APEC chairmanship handover session of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.

It will be the third time for China to host an APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.

Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, announced early Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed to all vessels, including oil tankers and commercial ships, due to security threats in the waterway.

The headquarters warned that any vessel attempting to transit the strait will be targeted.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy also announced that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed until further notice, as the United States has repeatedly violated the ceasefire.

The IRGC warned that no vessel is allowed to leave its anchorage in the Persian Gulf or the Gulf of Oman, and that approaching the strait will be regarded as collaborating with the enemy.