Business leaders gathering for the 2026 APEC CEO Summit in Shenzhen are looking to China's practical experience to find answers and forge new avenues of cooperation.
The summit will open from Nov 17-18 in Shenzhen, in China's Guangdong Province, under the theme "To Prosper and Win the Future Together", with a series of preliminary meetings already underway.
Business leaders attending the preliminary event said that economies across the region face diverse developmental priorities, spanning infrastructure connectivity, artificial intelligence innovation, and sustainable development. They expect to draw on China's insights and unlock new collaborative opportunities.
"When we came here in 2012, there was a lot of activity already, but there was still some uncertainty as to whether or not [it] would be successful -- had China invested a whole lot of money to build another sort of metropolis and would it continue to sustain? And I think you come here today and you see some of the leading innovators and technologists in the world here being very successful in Shenzhen," said Chey Scovell, a representative for Papua New Guinea on the APEC Business Advisory Council.
For Latin American economies like Mexico, looking to China's model means tapping into advanced technological integration, digital connectivity, and bilateral industrial ties anchored in regional manufacturing hubs.
Agustín Garcia Rechy, an alternate member for Mexico on the APEC Business Advisory Council, said that his country looks forward to cooperation with China on innovation, digital connectivity, and special digital tools.
"I think this area, the Greater Bay Area in China, is very important for Mexico, because we know that, for example, Zhuhai is very well connected with the Latin American region. So, in that sense, in Mexico, the cooperation that we are looking for and also that we have right now, is some important companies from Shenzhen. All of them are doing a very good job in Mexico and developing very well. That's the sectors that we are looking for cooperation, innovation, digital connectivity and and also other special digital tools to apply not only in the big companies, also in the small and the medium ones," said Rechy.
Asia-Pacific business leaders look to China's experience for cooperation at Shenzhen summit
Asia-Pacific business leaders look to China's experience for cooperation at Shenzhen summit
