Forum in Shenzhen spotlights media's role in consensus‑building ahead of APEC leaders' meeting

The Asia‑Pacific Media Forum opened Saturday in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, drawing media representatives from across the region and beyond as China is ready to host the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November.

More than 400 representatives from over 40 countries and regions, as well as from United Nations agencies and international organizations, attended the event.

The forum is positioning media as a tool for consensus‑building and shared development at a time of geopolitical strains and uneven growth across the Asia‑Pacific.

Participants say progress begins with people, strengthening ties among societies, and stress that trust and cultural understanding must come before technology or economic expansion can deliver lasting cooperation.

"The Asia-Pacific coming together and walking the talk. We have been talking about [that] in a world where AI is leading generations today, I want this summit to focus on the importance of humanity, telling human stories and bringing civilizations together. Be inconsiderate of our size, where we stand in development, and I understand that we in every society has something to offer and every society has something to learn," said Aminath Namza, chairperson of the Public Service Media of Maldives.

"APEC has the ability, through its consensus of regulation, of discussion and cooperation, to reestablish trust within the region. That's trust both in terms of trade relationships, trade settlement, trade processes. So, that's the important feature of bringing together everybody here at APEC," said Guppy Daryl James, former national board member of the Australia China Business Council.

"The knowledge and everything should be disseminated among all the countries, and we expect collaboration, more networking, because it's a huge gathering. So, we learn from each other and the best practices should to be shared. So, we learn, and we'll develop simultaneously," said Syeda Lasna Kabir, professor of public administration at the University of Dhaka.

For many participants, the priority is to find common ground at a time of growing global divisions.

"It gives them a big opportunity to find some consensus among them, especially during a time like this, where you have a lot of fragmentation in the international order. So, I believe the leadership China have brought into it, bringing all the member economies together, would be very beneficial, especially during this time, to find the trust among the nations so that they could operate and negotiate the issues that they are having," said Yasiru Bandara Ranaraja, founding director of the Belt and Road Initiative Sri Lanka.

"I think we're looking at areas where the United States and China can get along. So, areas like that can be the environment, can be energy, can be health care. Those are areas that we need to work on together," said Rebecca Amelia Fannin, founder of the U.S.-based Silicon Dragon Ventures.

The forum also produced concrete outcomes, including a media partnership initiative, new cooperation agreements and the Shenzhen Consensus on Asia-Pacific media cooperation.

Forum in Shenzhen spotlights media's role in consensus‑building ahead of APEC leaders' meeting

China has become an increasingly significant source of investment, moving beyond simply attracting investment, said economists and company executives at the 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT), held from Sept 8 to 11 in the eastern Chinese coastal city of Xiamen.

The CIFIT is marking nearly four decades as a platform for global investment and cooperation. Although it was initially launched to draw in foreign investment, the fair has evolved alongside China's economic transformation.

Today, China is not only a major destination for investors, but also an increasingly important investor and one of the world's largest markets.

At this year's fair, foreign companies are seeking to strengthen their partnerships with China, with cooperation spanning technology, green energy and support for Chinese businesses expanding overseas.

"Last year, China ranked No. 4 in global FDI (foreign direct investment) inflows and No. 3 as an investing country. The balance between inward and outward FDI can change, but few countries achieve it. But China has successfully experienced this shift," said Liang Guoyong, a senior economist at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Chinese companies are increasingly expanding outward, which is creating new opportunities for services and technology.

"Now we can see a lot more integration, as the GBA (Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area) integration down in south China, as well as Chinese companies wanting to go global. It gives a lot of companies, especially in the UK, a lot of opportunities to provide services and provide technologies," said Benjamin King, Chair of Supply Chain Working Group, British Chamber of Commerce South China.

And this two-way relationship is growing beyond individual firms to broader cooperation in technology and global markets.

"China is not only more producing. It's not only a market; it's a partner. You have technological products at a high technological level here in China, and that is good because as a developed economy in Germany, we need highly developed partners to work together, to sell products and even to buy products," said Joe Weingarten, head of the International Trade Department, Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany.

China emerges as important investment source globally: business leaders