APEC officials are due to complete a review of the group’s main supply chain plan this month, as the current phase reaches its end. The review arrives as leaders prepare to meet in Shenzhen and as companies weigh trade policy uncertainty against some easing in logistics pressure. What replaces the plan will shape APEC’s work on customs, ports and paperless trade.
The review of SCFAP III
In the Suzhou Statement in May, trade ministers welcomed the Third Phase of the Supply Chain Connectivity Framework Action Plan, known as SCFAP III, which covers 2022 to 2026. They said it addressed chokepoints in the region, especially through digital transformation of trade procedures and the move to paperless trade. They instructed officials “to complete the final review of SCFAP III by November this year.”
The ministers also recognized the importance of transparency on measures that may affect trade or disrupt supply chains. APEC has not said publicly what will follow the plan, or when the review will be released.
The topic stayed on the table at this week’s ministerial meeting. According to the APEC release, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao named supply chain connectivity, port infrastructure, single-window systems and the digitalization of trade procedures as priorities.
What the data show
The most recent APEC Regional Trends Analysis, from August, reported mixed signals. The Global Supply Chain Pressure Index dropped 56.5 percent between April and July 2026. The Trade Policy Uncertainty Index fell to 183.8 points from an average of 543.0 last year.
The report still cited higher energy and freight costs, weather-related disruptions, geopolitical tensions and trade policy uncertainty as headwinds, and called for stronger supply chain resilience.
A business tool for smaller suppliers
On the private sector side, ABAC has upgraded its Supply Chain Resilience Toolkit. The tool asks firms questions across five areas: flexibility, visibility, connectivity, robustness and redundancy. It then returns a resilience score and recommendations. It now includes an AI-enabled tariff tool and is available in seven languages. APEC says more than 2,850 businesses have used it.
The toolkit is free and hosted by the National Center for APEC. The work was led by ABAC China and ABAC United States, with contributions from UPS, Johnson & Johnson, Access Partnership, the National Center for APEC and CCPIT.
“This toolkit is trade facilitation in practice, making it easier for small businesses to trade with more confidence,” said APEC Secretariat Executive Director Eduardo Pedrosa. For large companies, the relevance is indirect, since small suppliers often sit in the tiers of a supply chain that are hardest to see.
ABAC’s 2026 recommendations also seek stronger supply chain resilience and greater transparency across regional supply chains. Any successor plan will show how much of that agenda governments are prepared to take up.
Sources
- APEC: 2026 Ministers Responsible for Trade Joint Statement (Suzhou Statement)
- APEC: Ministers Urge Greater Openness, Connectivity Across Asia-Pacific
- APEC Policy Support Unit: APEC Sees 3.2% Growth in 2026
- APEC: Regional Trends Analysis, August 2026
- APEC: New Trade Tool Helps Small Businesses Navigate Tariffs, Supply Chain Risks
- National Center for APEC: Supply Chain Resilience Toolkit
- APEC Business Advisory Council: 2026 recommendations
