China to boost Asia-Pacific cooperation, development as APEC host: official

China

China to boost Asia-Pacific cooperation, development as APEC host: official

2026-02-09 01:14 Last Updated At：15:57

As host of the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, China is committed to promoting regional cooperation and development across the Asia-Pacific, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said.

This year marks the APEC "China Year," with the theme of "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together." China will host the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November.

The country is holding the first first senior officials' meeting and related events in Guangzhou, the capital of south China's Guangdong Province, from Feb. 1 to 10, marking the launch of a year-long series of APEC China Year activities.

In an interview with China Media Group (CMG), Ma said China aims to set the tone for unity in the Asia-Pacific region by emphasizing free trade and practical partnerships in an increasingly uncertain world.

"The world today is beset with changes and disturbances, with turmoil continuing to mount, unilateralism and protectionism on the rise, and the international economic and trade order facing grave challenges. The Asia-Pacific region stands at a crossroads and must choose its path, while international cooperation faces a critical moment of either advancement or regression. Against this backdrop, China's role as the host of the 2026 APEC meeting carries significance that extends far beyond APEC itself, and even beyond the Asia-Pacific region," he said.

Noting the 2026 APEC "China Year" coincides with the inaugural year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan, Ma said that as the host of APEC meeting, China will play a leading role in shaping regional economic integration and advancing the development of an Asia-Pacific community. "China's economy is growing steadily, with an optimized structure and fresh momentum. It has surpassed 140 trillion yuan. Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), China will further deepen reforms and expand opening-up. As APEC host, we will carry forward the historical initiative, lead regional economic integration, promote an Asia-Pacific Community, and create a good external environment for building a new development pattern and promoting high-quality development," said the vice foreign minister.

Spain tourism surges as Europeans opt for safer holidays amid Middle East conflict

Spain is seeing a surge in European tourists as conflict in the Middle East prompts travelers to opt for closer and safer destinations.

With Easter holiday underway, Palma de Mallorca airport has been packed with visitors who abandoned plans for trips eastward. Hostilities triggered by Israeli‑U.S. strikes on Iran have forced major airports across the Middle East to cancel or delay flights, severely disrupting aviation and tourism in the region.

"We were thinking about going to Dubai, but because of the war, there was no option, so we came here to Mallorca," said a traveler named Michelle, who works as a kindergarten teacher.

"We thought about going to Thailand, but I see the flights were disrupted and they said there were drones and things like that, so we thought Spain may be a safer option," another traveler Ross McGrego said.

"The situation in the Middle East is a little bit too unstable for my holiday plans," said traveler Rose Danaher, a rabies specialist nurse with the UK Health Services Agency.

The influx has brought new opportunities for local businesses. Local restaurant owner in Mallorca Victoria Amoros opened her second restaurant just days ago.

"50,000 people extra are flying to Mallorca. These people were supposed to fly to the Middle East and they are rerouted to Mallorca. I don't know how we are going to handle that, but we will receive them with love," said Amoros, owner of La Malvasia Restaurant Chain.

Chris Pomeroy, the global head of tourism of international communications group Hopscotch said people all over the world are choosing to holiday closer to home.

"So, 14 percent of international travel goes through the Middle East, it's a connectivity issue. So, when these bridges are down, the logical effect is that people will stay in their hemisphere. We say in tourism that when in times of conflict, investors turn to gold, and in times of conflict, tour operators turn to Spain," he said.

Spain welcomed a record 97 million foreign tourists in 2025, and industry experts say the figure could surpass 100 million this year. With Middle East routes disrupted, Spain's role as Europe's fallback destination is set to grow even further.