Finance ministers from Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies adopted a joint statement and endorsed a policy on digital infrastructure financing as their meeting ended in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Wednesday.
The two-day meeting adopted the 2026 APEC Finance Ministers' Joint Statement and endorsed the Policy Statement on Digital Infrastructure Financing Across the Asia-Pacific Region.
The joint statement calls for closer economic policy coordination to address growth risks while highlighting support for households and wider access to financial services. The digital infrastructure policy, which is voluntary and non-binding, encourages governments, businesses and multilateral development banks to work together to address financing gaps.
The meeting also issued a report on fiscal policies supporting households and investment in human capital, alongside a compilation of practices aimed at broadening financial access. The ministers agreed to maintain exchanges among young finance professionals across the region.
Chinese Finance Minister Lan Fo'an chaired the two-day meeting, which drew more than 300 delegates from APEC economies, observer groups and international organizations.
APEC finance ministers back digital infrastructure financing, wider financial access
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that his country has offered to mediate between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, but Tehran has yet to receive a response from either party.
Cross-border attacks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have intensified recently. Clashes between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have also escalated across multiple fronts.
When asked in a media interview about the prospect of Egypt joining Saudi military operations against the Houthis, Araghchi warned that any external intervention would complicate the situation. He added that Cairo had informed Tehran it would not directly intervene in the conflict.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said Tuesday that Saudi Arabia had carried out 93 air and missile strikes across eight Yemeni provinces over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of strikes since the current escalation began to 2,793. The figures could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported that eight fishermen were killed on Tuesday in strikes on two fishing boats off the coast of Dhubab district in southwestern Taiz province.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of the country's north. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
Iran says no response from Saudi Arabia, Houthis over ceasefire mediation offer
