APEC Holds 37th Ministerial Meeting on Foreign Affairs and Trade

China News Service reported that the 37th APEC Ministerial Meeting was held via video link from Beijing on November 3. The session was jointly chaired by Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao, bringing together representatives from member economies, the 2026 APEC Senior Officials' Meeting chair, the secretariat executive director, the business advisory council chair, and observers. Wang Yi stated that China served as the APEC host after a 12-year interval, working with members on the theme of building an Asia-Pacific community and promoting shared prosperity. Focusing on open development, innovation, and cooperation, more than 300 conferences and events were held during the APEC China year. Wang Wentao urged members to counter supply chain fragmentation and sluggish global growth by contributing pragmatic solutions. He called for upholding free trade, improving the pathway toward an Asia-Pacific free trade zone, reducing trade and investment barriers, and strengthening coordination on digital economy trade rules. Wang Wentao added that China remains committed to high-standard opening-up, implementing national treatment for foreign enterprises, and encouraging open-source collaboration in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence to support regional economic integration.