PREPARATIONS for the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Shenzhen this November are entering a new and important stage, building on outcomes from the just-concluded 3rd APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting in Dalian, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, a senior Chinese official said Friday.

Practical cooperation was achieved in anti-corruption, ocean and fisheries governance, food security, health and energy at the Dalian meeting, while participants also agreed on an initiative to promote integrity for a prosperous Asia-Pacific region, Chen Xu, chair of the 2026 APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting, said.

The Dalian meeting was held from Aug. 17 to Friday. Following the meeting, Chen said China would maintain close communication with all parties and advance preparations for the Shenzhen summit in an orderly manner.

According to Chen, the third senior officials’ meeting was the final such meeting to be held separately before the Shenzhen gathering. It was also the largest APEC meeting held so far this year in terms of attendance and the number of events. More than 100 meetings and activities on trade, transportation, food security, energy and health, among other issues, attracted more than 3,000 representatives.

Since the launch of the 2026 APEC “China Year,” more than 300 meetings and activities have been held, attracting nearly 7,000 participants, Chen said.

Looking ahead, APEC economies should remain true to the forum’s founding commitment to cooperation and stay firmly focused on building an Asia-Pacific community, Chen said. They should also draw up a road map based on four pillars — trade, connectivity, innovation and development — and work toward an ambitious Shenzhen Declaration, he added.

Ahead of the Shenzhen meeting, China will host ministerial meetings on small and medium-sized enterprises, energy, human resources development, transportation and finance, he added.

Participants responded positively to China’s proposals and preparations and expressed their readiness to work with the host economy to deepen cooperation, contribute to a successful APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and promote regional development and prosperity, Chen said.

Marat Berdyev, Russia’s APEC senior official, said work under China’s APEC chairmanship was progressing well in the areas of openness, cooperation and innovation, and would help chart the forum’s course in the years ahead.

Russian government officials and business representatives viewed the Shenzhen meeting as an opportunity to expand cooperation with economies across the Asia-Pacific region, particularly China, Berdyev said.

Carlos Kuriyama, director of the APEC Policy Support Unit, described the series of APEC meetings and related events held in Dalian over the past 12 days as highly productive.

“It’s been very challenging to discuss many things in a short time span,” Kuriyama said, adding that the discussions had been substantive.

He expressed hope that the discussions would produce high-quality outcomes by the time the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting convenes in Shenzhen.      (China Daily)