China will host the first APEC Senior Officials' Meeting and related events in Guangzhou from February 1 to 10, marking the opening of the APEC "China Year" before it is to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in 2026, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.
"The APEC Senior Officials' Meeting is the main channel to prepare deliverables for the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and is held four or five times a year. As the host of APEC in 2026, China will hold the first APEC Senior Officials' Meeting and related meetings in Guangzhou from February 1 to 10," Guo said.
"This will be the first official event of the APEC China Year. The meeting will focus on the theme of the 2026 APEC meetings of 'Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together, and the three priority areas, namely, openness, innovation and cooperation. It will fully launch cooperation across APEC's various mechanisms and sectors, stage in-depth discussions on specific cooperation, and help build momentum and deliverables for the APEC Economic Leaders' Informal Meeting scheduled for November," said Guo.
"More than 50 events are planned during the meeting, with around 1,000 participants expected from APEC member economies, the APEC Secretariat and the APEC Business Advisory Council. Preparations are underway smoothly. The host city, Guangzhou, enjoys a long history and is an important gateway of China's opening-up as well as a core city of the Guangdong-Hong-Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. We welcome all journalist friends to actively follow and report the first senior officials' meeting and related events, and to deliver effectively stories about the APEC China Year," Guo said.
Spokesman on APEC "China Year" Guangzhou meeting
Spokesman on APEC "China Year" Guangzhou meeting
