Collaboration remains regional consensus

By seeking common ground for all parties to participate in economic and trade cooperation, the 2026 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, held in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, on Friday and Saturday, reaffirmed support for the vision of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, with parties committed to advancing regional economic integration.

The meeting concluded with a new consensus reached on expanding digital trade cooperation, with substantive progress made on a framework document for regional digital trade cooperation and actively exploring new measures for green trade development. It also sent a message on advancing World Trade Organization reform and drew up a blueprint for the development of the service sector over the next decade. These outcomes demonstrate that the region is still pursuing greater economic collaboration.

Participants in the meeting held candid, in-depth and constructive discussions and achieved fruitful results, with the issuance of a joint statement — the Suzhou Statement — and the approval of the APEC Roadmap for Innovative, Competitive and Resilient Services.