Three cities witness changes in twenty-five years: APEC has witnessed China’s transformation from “integrating into the Asia-Pacific” to “leading the Asia-Pacific”

From November 18th to 19th, the 33rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Informal Meeting will be held in Shenzhen, China. This is the third time China has served as the host of APEC after 2001 and 2014.

An Asia-Pacific event, three Chinese cities, 25 years of change. In the 37-year development history of the APEC mechanism, China has hosted APEC informal leaders’ meetings three times, from Shanghai in 2001 to Beijing in 2014 and then to Shenzhen in 2026. The three coordinates are connected in series, which is far more than just a sequential rotation of conference locations. It also outlines a clear curve of China’s continuous improvement in its level of opening up and its international role. From "learning to abide by the rules" during the Shanghai period, to "initiating new rules" during the Beijing period, to "turning vision into reality" at home in Shenzhen, the three cities unfolded China's 25-year journey in the Asia-Pacific, vividly reflecting China's progress from an active participant and important advocate to a major country that is a respondent of the times. As the highest-level, broadest and most influential economic cooperation mechanism in the Asia-Pacific region, APEC carries the context of the integrated development of the Asia-Pacific. It also records the positive interactive process of China adapting to the world, integrating into the world, influencing the world, and shaping the world by "changing itself". It also engraves the growth trajectory of China and the Asia-Pacific symbiotic and co-prosperous, and co-evolution with the international system.

Shanghai 2001: Opening the door and embracing the Asia-Pacific with an attitude of integration

At the beginning of this century, the wave of economic globalization swept across the world, and the Asia-Pacific became the most active economic growth sector in the world. However, regional economic and trade cooperation rules have not yet been fully unified, and the multilateral trading system urgently needs to be consolidated. In October 2001, Shanghai hosted the ninth APEC Leaders' Informal Meeting, which coincided with a key turning point in China's opening up to the outside world. At that time, China was about to officially join the World Trade Organization and urgently needed to integrate with international rules and integrate into the regional economic system. That event became an important symbol of China's first home appearance on the Asia multilateral cooperation stage. At that time, China's total gross domestic product (GDP) had just exceeded the 10 trillion yuan mark, and its global trade in goods accounted for only about 4%. In the Asia-Pacific economic and trade landscape, it was more about following and learning and undertaking industrial transfers. Its core task was to proactively integrate into the international system, connect with prevailing rules, and fully embrace the world.

That year, the Asia-Pacific had just emerged from the haze of the Asian financial crisis and was hit by the September 11th incident. Regional and global economic growth slowed down, market confidence was dampened, and the prospects for recovery were full of uncertainty. Leaders of 21 APEC economies gathered on the banks of the Huangpu River to exchange in-depth views on the world economic situation, human resources capacity building, and APEC's future development direction around the theme of "New Century, New Challenges: Participation, Cooperation, and Promoting Common Prosperity" and reached a series of groundbreaking cooperation results. The meeting issued the "Shanghai Consensus" to firmly safeguard the multilateral trading system, build Asia-Pacific consensus for the Doha Round negotiations, and effectively boost regional economic confidence that has suffered double impacts.

As the host, China has taken the initiative to launch two major pragmatic measures: setting up a human resources capacity building promotion project and planning to train 1,500 senior network technology talents for APEC members free of charge in three years; investing in the establishment of APEC finance and development projects to help developing economies make up for their financial shortcomings and demonstrate an open attitude of active integration and joint progress.

The APEC Shanghai Summit will create a favorable external atmosphere for China to deeply integrate into the multilateral system and successfully fulfill its WTO commitments. Taking advantage of Shanghai APEC, China has fully integrated Asia-Pacific market rules and industrial systems, and fully fulfilled its WTO commitments. The central government has cleared more than 2,300 laws and regulations, and local governments have cleared more than 190,000 laws and regulations, stimulating market and social vitality, and entering a new stage of opening up to the outside world. Data show that from 2001 to 2006, the average annual growth rate of total trade between China and APEC members exceeded 25%, foreign investment continued to come to China, and the manufacturing industry rose rapidly. China has accumulated strength in the process of integrating with the world and laid a solid foundation for development in the process of expanding opening up.

Beijing 2014: Stand firm in words and deeds, and act as a major country to contribute to the program

Thirteen years later, when the 22nd APEC Leaders’ Informal Meeting was held in Yanqi Lake in November 2014, China’s opening-up pattern and comprehensive strength had completely changed. In 2014, China's GDP exceeded 60 trillion yuan, contributing nearly 30% to the world's economic growth, and firmly ranking as the world's second largest economy. Its core position in the Asia-Pacific industrial chain, supply chain, and value chain has been basically established. It has shifted from "deep integration" to "active shaping" of the wave of globalization.

At that time, the global economic recovery was struggling, and trade protectionism and fragmented thinking were quietly on the rise. Asia-Pacific regional cooperation urgently needed to build new consensus, build a new framework, and activate new momentum. With the theme of "Building an Asia-Pacific Partnership for the Future", the APEC Beijing Summit was based on the overall development of the Asia-Pacific and faced the practical problem of "over-ideas but insufficient implementation" of regional cooperation. It achieved a number of milestone breakthroughs: All parties agreed to launch the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area process and draw a clear roadmap for the economic integration of the Asia-Pacific region; approved the "APEC Connectivity Blueprint" (2015-2025)", coordinate hardware connectivity, institutional integration, and personnel exchanges, open up regional development channels, and make up for the shortcomings of interconnection; advocate the construction of an Asia-Pacific partnership of mutual trust, tolerance, cooperation, and win-win, abandon zero-sum games, Cold War mentality, and group confrontation, reshape the core value of Asia-Pacific cooperation, and inject valuable "Asia-Pacific confidence" and "Chinese power" into the world economy.

The meeting adopted documents such as the "Beijing Agenda: Building an Integrated, Innovative, and Interconnected Asia-Pacific - APEC Leaders' Declaration" and established an institutional framework for Asia-Pacific cooperation in the new era. From promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation to deepening innovation, reform and value chain cooperation; from strengthening infrastructure connectivity to supporting the upgrading of developing economies, we will form an all-round, multi-level and wide-area cooperation layout, transform the macro vision into practical measures that can be implemented, promoted and tested, and promote Asia-Pacific cooperation from "factor-driven, overlapping interests" to a new realm of "idea-led, shared destiny".

The regional integration blueprint drawn up by the APEC Beijing Summit has also accumulated conceptual consensus for the subsequent implementation of RCEP. After the APEC Beijing Summit, Asia-Pacific connectivity, production capacity cooperation, and mechanism docking have accelerated across the board. China has vigorously promoted the construction of all-round connectivity across land, sea and air networks, deepened strategic alignment with Asia-Pacific countries, and continued to expand the regional cooperation pie. The mutually beneficial and win-win pattern in the Asia-Pacific has been continuously consolidated, and Chinese wisdom and solutions have been deeply integrated into the Asia-Pacific governance system.

Shenzhen 2026: Innovation relay, answering the proposition of the times with practical actions

In 2026, the APEC Summit will be held in Shenzhen, the forefront of China's reform and opening up. China has issued a "home court appointment" as the host for the third time, opening a new chapter in Asia-Pacific cooperation. If Shanghai focuses on joining the game and Beijing focuses on making suggestions, the distinctive characteristics of Shenzhen's home stadium are practical answers, innovative leadership, and demonstration of the future. It marks China's transformation from "actively shaping" globalization to "responsible leadership" of globalization, and highlights China's unique and positive role in Asia-Pacific cooperation.

At present, the century-old changes in the world are accelerating. Unilateralism, protectionism, and confrontation between camps continue to rise. Some countries are resorting to "high walls" and "decoupling and disconnection" to artificially separate regional production and supply chains. Geographical conflicts, climate crises, weak recovery and other challenges are superimposed. The Asia-Pacific once again stands at the crossroads of openness and closure, cooperation and confrontation. The 2026 APEC "Year of China" has the theme of "Building an Asia-Pacific Community and Promoting Common Prosperity", focusing on the three priority areas of "openness, innovation, and cooperation", and organizing about 300 events such as senior officials' meetings, professional ministers' meetings, and high-end media forums to lay a solid foundation for deepening economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. This year's APEC summit will focus on exchanges and discussions on topics such as the construction of the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area, artificial intelligence, digital economy, the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and sustainable development, and promote the formation of the Shenzhen Declaration and other achievements. It is committed to promoting the stability of the world with the stability of the Asia-Pacific and empowering the prosperity of the world with the prosperity of the Asia-Pacific.

In fact, Shenzhen, as a city born due to reform, prospering due to openness, and strong due to innovation, is a microscopic example of China's integration into, contribution to, and leadership in the Asia-Pacific. Over the past 40 years, it has grown from a border town to an international innovative city. The number of international patent applications submitted through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) framework and the number of national high-tech enterprises rank among the top cities in the country. The added value of the core industries of the digital economy accounts for more than 10% of GDP. The scale of cross-border e-commerce import and export has led the country's large and medium-sized cities for many years. The penetration rate of new energy vehicles ranks among the top cities in the world. As the core engine of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Shenzhen relies on the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone and the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone to promote the connection of rules and mechanisms to continuously break the ice and promote the efficient flow of factors across borders. The practical path given by Shenzhen is specific and clear: relying on digital infrastructure and standard docking to bridge the "digital divide", exporting green technologies to help Asia-Pacific's low-carbon transformation, using cross-border logistics and e-commerce networks to reduce trade costs, and transforming the development practices of very large markets into public goods that can be learned and replicated by all economies.

Looking globally, in the first three quarters of 2026, China's imports and exports to other APEC economies were 24.07 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 23.9%, accounting for 60.3% of China's total imports and exports. With the high-level implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), the regional economic cycle continues to be smooth. China continues to make efforts in the fields of digital economy, green and low-carbon, technological innovation, and cross-border connectivity. It builds an Asia-Pacific digital cooperation platform, builds a green transformation cooperation mechanism, continuously enhances the resilience of regional industrial and supply chains, and allows innovation dividends, openness dividends, and development dividends to benefit all Asia-Pacific economies. Facing this APEC Shenzhen Summit, China will rely on its own development experience to contribute public goods, continue to draw development momentum from Asia-Pacific cooperation, and practice the concept of mutually beneficial and symbiotic cooperation.

See what is coming out to know what is coming in, watch what is going to know what is coming. From the whistle of the Huangpu River, to the sound of oars in Yanqi Lake, to the surge of Shenzhen Bay; from the beginning of Shanghai's integration, to Beijing's advancement, to Shenzhen's leadership, the "Three Cities Butterfly Change" is a vivid epitome of China's continuous deepening of opening up. The "Three Cities Relay" witnesses the advancement and sublimation of China's role in the Asia-Pacific. Standing at a new starting point in 2026, China will always take root in the Asia-Pacific, empower the Asia-Pacific, and benefit the Asia-Pacific. It will insist on breaking down barriers with openness, resolving opposition with cooperation, and transcending zero-sum with win-win. It will continue to consolidate the foundation of the Asia-Pacific community with a shared future, and join hands with all parties in the region to jointly create a bright future of lasting prosperity and long-term stability in the Asia-Pacific.

(The author is Guan Jianbin, director of the Institute of Asian and African Development, Development Research Center of the State Council)

Source: China Youth Daily

November 13, 2026 Version 04