Global media focus︱Foreign media: APEC meeting held in Shenzhen is of far-reaching significance

Many foreign media and think tanks are paying attention to the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) informal leaders' meeting in Shenzhen, China, and believe that APEC provides a good dialogue platform for Asia-Pacific cooperation.

Romania's Institute of Middle East Political Economy recently issued an article saying that the significance of the APEC meeting lies not only in the gathering of leaders of various economies, but also in the economic geography of the meeting: the Asia-Pacific region is increasingly becoming the core of global production, technological competition, and the future distribution of international power.

The article believes that although today's economic globalization encounters countercurrents, economic interdependence has not disappeared. The article stated that this is one of the reasons why Shenzhen is so important. It has grown from a relatively small coastal town into China's leading center for technology, manufacturing and international trade. Shenzhen is not only a representative of China's economic growth, but its superior geographical location also makes it closely connected with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, one of the world's most important manufacturing, financial, research and logistics centers.

The article believes that China's hosting of the APEC meeting in Shenzhen is of far-reaching significance and can intuitively demonstrate the close connection between China's domestic development and international competitiveness. The priority areas set by China for the 2026 APEC "Year of China" are "openness, innovation and cooperation", which also reflects China's efforts to safeguard the foundation of regional economic integration at a time when protectionism and various restrictive measures are on the rise. The 2026 APEC theme "Building an Asia-Pacific Community and Promoting Common Prosperity" is of particular practical significance to those economies whose economic growth relies on market access, technology, investment and stable supply chains.

The article stated that exploring the 20-year-long Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area concept within the APEC framework is still an ambitious goal. But its continued mention shows that all parties have realized that fragmented trade arrangements and opposing economic groups will bring high costs to the entire region. The challenge is how to make economic integration compatible with the reasonable demands of all countries, instead of using security issues as an excuse to permanently separate regional economic ties.

The article emphasizes that the value of APEC lies in providing a dialogue platform. Even if countries have different political positions, they can still negotiate pragmatic rules and maintain cooperation channels.

Türkiye's "Daily Morning Post" published an article stating that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) itself has well demonstrated the value of dialogue. Each member economy has different political systems, economic development priorities, and different views on the international order. Despite this, the parties continue to meet because even if political differences persist, cooperation can still bring tangible benefits.

The article stated that the significance of dialogue is that as long as communication channels remain open, differences will be easier to manage.

New Zealand business digital media B2BNews reported that APEC member economies account for about half of global trade and 60% of global GDP. China, the host of this year's APEC meeting, has been New Zealand's largest trading partner since 2017. According to reports, the agenda of this year’s APEC meeting covers trade digitization, artificial intelligence, food security and sustainable growth. Rule-making in these areas will determine whether New Zealand exporters can smoothly clear customs or sell data-intensive services to the Asia-Pacific region.