All member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) are fully prepared to actively participate in the 2026 APEC "China Year" to elevate cooperation to a new level, Chen Xu, chair of the 2026 APEC Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM), said in a recent interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN).
Chen said that China will host approximately 300 related activities throughout the year to promote pragmatic cooperation within the framework of APEC and preparing for the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November.
"At the informal senior officials' meeting in December 2025, APEC members endorsed the theme and priority areas proposed by China, with 'Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together ' as the theme and openness, innovation, and cooperation as the priority areas. APEC members share the same view that this approach is aligned with the development of the world and the Asia-Pacific region, and meets the development needs of all members. Members are all ready to actively participate in the APEC 'China Year' so as to take cooperation to a new level," he said.
China will hold three SOMs in 2026, with the first now running in Guangzhou from Feb 1 to 10.
Shanghai will host the second SOM meetings in May, followed by Dalian, which will host the third meeting in August, Chen said.
Chen said that from May to October this year, ten thematic ministerial meetings will be organized by relevant Chinese authorities in places including Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou, Hong Kong and Macao.
These meetings will cover a wide range of fields such as energy, transportation, the digital economy, food security, human resources, trade, finance, tourism, small and medium-sized enterprises, and women's affairs, Chen said.
APEC members fully prepared to participate in 2026 APEC "China Year": official
