The 2026 APEC Digital and AI Ministerial Meeting has adopted a ministerial statement with all parties agreeing to jointly promote digital and AI technologies to empower the Asia-Pacific community, according to a press conference on Thursday.
The statement, also known as Chengdu Statement, is expected to provide an action framework for deepening cooperation in digital and AI technologies in the coming years in the region.
The ministerial meeting, as an important platform for promoting exchange and cooperation in digital, information and communication technology sectors across the Asia-Pacific region, was held Thursday in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, under the theme of "Digital Technologies and AI for the Empowerment of an Asia-Pacific Community."
"The telecommunications ministers' meeting held 24 years ago focused on installing optical fiber cables and linking networks, mainly addressing basic digital connectivity issues. Today's meeting, while promoting universal and meaningful digital connectivity, places greater emphasis on digital and intelligent empowerment, especially on how digital and AI technologies can genuinely empower industries and improve people's well-being," said Jiang Mingtao, head of the National Industrial Information Security Development Research Center.
Currently, the scale of China's core AI industry has exceeded 1.2 trillion yuan (about 177.25 billion U.S. dollars). By the end of Dec 2025, the country's penetration rate of digital research, development and design tools in industrial enterprises had exceeded 85 percent, and over 68 percent of their key production processes has been numerically controlled.
APEC ministerial meeting adopts Chengdu Statement on digital technologies, AI
