The 2026 APEC Business Leaders China Forum was held in Beijing on June 21st, with the theme "Openness, Connectivity, Synergy: Linking the Asia-Pacific, Co-creating the Future."
In his opening address at the forum, Li Fanrong, Chairman of the 2026 APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) and Chairman of China National Chemical Corporation Ltd. (ChemChina), outlined the council's focus. He stated that the 2026 ABAC, based on the annual theme of "Openness, Connectivity, Synergy" and aligned with the core agenda of China's APEC host year, is working from the forefront of regional economic integration. The council is actively translating business community demands, industry practices, and market insights into actionable and implementable cooperation plans. He noted that all key tasks are progressing steadily with fruitful results, laying a solid foundation for APEC business cooperation throughout the year.
First, deepening regional trade cooperation and steadily advancing the construction of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). The FTAAP concept was first proposed by ABAC in 2004. After over two decades of sustained effort, it has evolved from a business community innovation to a core consensus agenda among APEC economic leaders. In April this year, the ABAC Mexico City meeting unanimously adopted a special statement supporting FTAAP development. This statement clarified its core value in addressing supply chain disruptions, countering market fragmentation, and enabling green and digital transitions, while proposing a series of practical implementation measures. The statement received a positive response from the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting that same month, fully demonstrating the important role of business community initiatives in optimizing regional trade rules and upgrading the cooperation framework.
Second, upgrading the connectivity system to expand the breadth and depth of regional cooperation. Building on the foundation of the 2014 APEC Beijing Connectivity Blueprint and promoted by China's initiative, ABAC successfully re-established its Connectivity Working Group this year, receiving broad support from all economies. The group concurrently issued a special statement on connectivity, outlining plans to promote the development of an upgraded APEC Connectivity Blueprint. This effort focuses on the deep integration of green development and digital innovation, and coordinates the optimization of three key pillars: physical connectivity, institutional connectivity, and new forms of connectivity. The aim is to continuously strengthen the Asia-Pacific integration cooperation network, ensuring the fruits of regional development are shared more equitably and inclusively among all economies.
Third, focusing on cutting-edge technology fields to cultivate new drivers of economic growth. With the global technological revolution and industrial transformation accelerating, artificial intelligence is profoundly reshaping global industrial structures and development models. This year, ABAC, based on the theme of synergistic development and adhering to forward-looking planning and practical implementation, has focused on deepening consultations and sharing experiences on frontier issues such as AI industrial applications, sustainable industrial development, and the improvement of digital trade rules. The goal is to foster a stable, transparent, and predictable environment for digital trade development. This will help the Asia-Pacific region seize opportunities in digital, intelligent, and green transitions, improve rule systems in emerging fields, consolidate the region's competitive advantages in global industry and innovation, and continuously unlock new space for economic growth.
He called on the Asia-Pacific business community to unite in purpose and work diligently to continuously deepen practical cooperation across all fields. He urged joint efforts to build a closely interconnected Asia-Pacific community with a shared future and to collectively usher in the next golden thirty years of development for the region.
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