Preparations for the APEC CEO Summit in Shenzhen have entered their final stage, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) said on October 30. The summit runs November 17–18, alongside the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. It is the main forum this year for companies to put their views directly before leaders and ministers, and it comes as APEC members debate trade, supply chains and AI.
APEC’s business council has already set out its formal asks. What is new is the shape of the week itself, and a planned business statement from the summit.
Who is coming
CCPIT spokesperson Wang Wenshuai said business representatives from all 21 APEC economies have registered, according to Xinhua. Firms from outside APEC, including from Britain, France, Germany and Switzerland, have also registered. CCPIT said in September that around 1,000 political and business representatives were expected.
China last hosted APEC 12 years ago. This year’s host program runs to about 300 events, with senior officials having met in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Dalian.
The schedule
The APEC Secretariat says Leaders’ Week begins on November 14 with meetings of senior officials and business representatives. The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) will hold its fourth and final meeting of the year in Shenzhen from November 14 to 16, Xinhua reported. Its earlier meetings, in Jakarta, Mexico City and Bangkok, produced 14 outcome documents.
China’s foreign ministry has given the leaders’ meeting dates as November 18–19. The Secretariat describes the week as culminating in the leaders’ meeting on November 19.
CCPIT said the summit will issue a “Shenzhen initiative.” Its content has not been published.
What business has asked for
ABAC’s 2026 report to leaders, finalized in Bangkok in July, is the formal channel for business recommendations. It calls for practical, business-led early deliverables toward the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, and for capacity building on paperless trade. It also calls for a refreshed Open Skies agenda, greater private investment through public-private partnerships, and governance frameworks for AI and quantum technologies.
Ministers covered similar ground when they met virtually this week. In the APEC release on that meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi named the free trade area and stronger connectivity as drivers of regional integration. Commerce Minister Wang Wentao warned that shifting supply chains and uneven digital and green transformation could widen economic disparities.
For public affairs teams, the useful comparison will be between three texts: the ABAC report, the Shenzhen initiative and the leaders’ declaration. How closely they align will show how far business recommendations carried into this year’s outcome.
Sources
- State Council of China (Xinhua): APEC CEO Summit 2026 to be held in Shenzhen
- Shenzhen Government Online (Xinhua): 2026 APEC meeting dates
- APEC Secretariat: APEC Advances Trade, AI Cooperation Ahead of Leaders’ Week
- APEC: Ministers Urge Greater Openness, Connectivity Across Asia-Pacific
- APEC Business Advisory Council: 2026 recommendations
- China Daily (Xinhua): CCPIT on preparations for the summit
- The Star (Xinhua): Preparations enter final stage
