On September 22, 2026, the 12th APEC Transport Ministers' Meeting, themed "Collaboration and Innovation: Shaping a Better Future for Transportation in the Asia-Pacific Region," was held in Beijing. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Liu Wei, Minister of Transport of China, and attended by representatives from the APEC member economies and the APEC Secretariat.

Minister Liu Wei noted that in recent years, the Asia-Pacific region has made significant progress in transport connectivity, which has effectively promoted regional trade and the deep integration of industrial and supply chains, providing solid support for economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region. For a long time, China has been committed to advancing transport connectivity in the Asia-Pacific region, enhancing the facilitation of cross-border transport, and deepening practical cooperation with all parties, thereby injecting momentum and vitality into regional economic growth. China will continue to strengthen "hard connectivity" in transportation infrastructure and "soft connectivity" in rules and standards with all economies, share China's experience in transportation development, enhance communication and exchange in areas such as transportation construction and operation, technology application, and talent training, deepen cooperation on cross-border transport facilitation, and enhance the security and resilience of international logistics supply chains, thereby creating more opportunities for unimpeded trade, people-to-people exchanges, and industrial collaboration in the Asia-Pacific region.

Minister Liu Wei put forward three suggestions. First, APEC economies should advance the interconnectivity of transportation networks to jointly open up a new chapter in Asia-Pacific transportation cooperation. APEC will continue to deepen the development of cross-border rail, road, maritime, and civil aviation infrastructure, streamline procedures for the cross-border movement of people, vehicles, and goods, and eliminate bottlenecks and obstacles in cross-border transportation across the Asia-Pacific region. Second, APEC economies should strengthen collaborative innovation in smart transportation to jointly foster new momentum for Asia-Pacific transportation development. APEC should focus on areas such as smart highways, smart ports, smart shipping, and smart urban transportation to jointly build demonstration projects, share practical application cases, and establish multilateral cooperation platforms. Third, APEC economies should deepen practical multilateral cooperation to jointly create a new ecosystem of win-win outcomes for Asia-Pacific transportation. APEC should improve multi-tiered, regular multilateral cooperation mechanisms and, with smart transportation as the driving force, promote broader and deeper practical cooperation in the Asia-Pacific transport sector.

The meeting heard an overview of the APEC "China Year" presented by Ambassador Chen Xu, APEC 2026 SOM Chair, as well as a progress report on APEC Transportation Working Group (TPTWG). The meeting adopted the 12th APEC Transportation Ministers' Meeting Joint Statement. Representatives from APEC economies and PECC delivered remarks, focusing on the meeting theme.