U.S. corporate giants, including Amazon, Google and Microsoft are showing strong enthusiasm for the 2026 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in Shenzhen, signaling continued confidence in the Asia-Pacific market and regional economic integration.
The APEC CEO Summit 2026 will be held in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, from Nov 17 to 18.
Under the theme "promoting prosperity together for a win-win future," the summit will bring together around 1,000 political and business representatives from APEC economies.
Attendees will discuss topics including the building of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, connectivity, artificial intelligence and sustainable development, offering insights for promoting economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region.
The U.S. business community's active participation spans multiple sectors, including artificial intelligence, energy, and consumer retail.
Michael Hart, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China), emphasized that APEC serves as a crucial platform for economies to deepen exchanges and promote practical cooperation.
"APEC is a place where companies can talk about both their wins and their challenges. The government can say, 'Here's the plan to make things work and integrate,' and business can say, 'Yes, some of this is working, but here's where there's a practical challenge.' And so APEC is a great platform to bring together folks who can both chart opportunities and then also give feedback where we're having challenges to make sure that the economies do stay integrated," he said.
He also highlighted Shenzhen's role as the host city, noting its status as a world-class tech hub and a key anchor of the Greater Bay Area.
"It's a real world-class city, very large, home to a number of tech firms and others, including a lot of Chinese leading companies. Shenzhen, of course, is also an anchor of the Greater Bay Area, and just an example of how China continues to use infrastructure to integrate cities within China. Because Shenzhen is involved in trade, it naturally links up with other economies in Southeast Asia. So we're looking forward to seeing companies that are based in China but also have links around Asia-Pacific to help us understand how they're using Shenzhen as a base to link with Southeast Asia," he said.
Regarding the existing industrial links within the region, Hart pointed out that China's supply chains are already closely connected with Southeast Asian nations.
"We can really see this working where some of China's supply chains now link very clearly, for example, to whether it be Vietnam or other Southeast Asian nations. And so it's really a great example for us to see these Asian economies working together and then raising the issues to say, 'Here's how we could integrate better, or here's how we can leverage each other's economies.' And again, the U.S., as an important Pacific economy, certainly wants to play a part in whether it be China or Southeast Asia trade. And so again, APEC's a great platform for that to happen," he said.
As China hosts APEC for the third time, Hart expressed his hope for deeper industrial collaboration.
"China has experience doing this，and of course, an important player in the APEC economy. What we're hoping to do is to make sure that we are able to work with both our companies and the countries in Asia to see how we can integrate our supply chains better, how we can have positive wins for both the large and small economies. So, for example, in the AmCham China surveys, our member companies tell us as long as there are opportunities, they look to continue to invest in China. And so APEC, again, a great platform for us to give feedback both to government and other businesses about how that could work better and what's working now," he said.
As the host of APEC in 2026, China will hold the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen from Nov 18 to 19.
US corporate giants signal strong confidence in Asia-Pacific ahead of APEC summit
