From December 11 to 12, 2025, the 2026 APEC Informal Senior Officials' Meeting was held in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, kicking off the APEC "China Year". Deputy Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu attended the meeting and delivered a speech.

Ma Zhaoxu stated that during the APEC meeting in Gyeongju, the Republic of Korea, President Xi Jinping emphasized that China is ready to seize the opportunity of hosting next year's APEC to work together with all parties to advance the goal of an Asia-Pacific community, energize practical cooperation on priorities including the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, connectivity, digital economy and AI, so as to inject greater vitality and impetus to development in the Asia-Pacific and deliver more benefits to the people of the region. President Xi Jinping's important speech has charted the course and provided fundamental guidance for hosting the 2026 APEC and for APEC cooperation. China is ready to work with all parties to continue pursuing the goal of an Asia-Pacific community, strengthen regional economic cooperation, unlock the Asia-Pacific's growth potential, and jointly usher in a new era of development for the region.

All participants highly appreciated China's efforts in advancing the goal of an Asia-Pacific community, and expressed their willingness to actively support China in hosting the APEC in 2026, jointly promote the complete success of the APEC "China Year", and make new contributions to boosting economic growth in the Asia-Pacific and the world.

The meeting unanimously approved China's proposal to set the theme for the 2026 APEC as "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together" and to set openness, innovation and cooperation as the three priorities. The meeting also confirmed the year-round arrangements for the 2026 APEC.

The meeting was chaired by Ambassador Chen Xu, Chair of the 2026 APEC Senior Officials' Meeting. Nearly 200 representatives from APEC member economies, the APEC Secretariat, observers, academia, and the business community attended the meeting.

APEC is the most important economic cooperation mechanism in the Asia-Pacific region. The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in Shenzhen in November 2026, with senior officials' meetings, ministerial meetings, and other events taking place in various cities across China.