APEC Shenzhen: Innovation Hub Defines New Asia-Pacific Path

Shenzhen, China’s southern innovation powerhouse, has taken center stage in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) calendar as the city hosts a series of events marking the forum’s 2026 “China Year.” The Asia-Pacific Media Forum, which opened September 5 at the Qianhai International Conference Center, brought together more than 400 representatives from over 40 countries and regions, along with UN agencies and international organizations, to build consensus ahead of the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting scheduled for November 18-19 in the city.

A City Transformed

“Shenzhen is China’s invitation to the world,” said Taylor Ogan, founder and CEO of US-based Snow Bull Capital, who relocated his company and life from Boston to Shenzhen four years ago. Speaking at the Shenzhen sub-forum on September 4, Ogan explained his decision: “At the time, many Americans didn’t understand this decision. I did it because I had been watching the future from afar, and I needed to live in the future.”

The sentiment reflects Shenzhen’s remarkable transformation from a small border town into a global technology hub. Established as China’s first special economic zone in 1980 with a GDP of just 270 million yuan, the city’s economy reached 3.68 trillion yuan by 2024, according to the APEC official website. Today, Shenzhen is home to tech giants including Huawei, Tencent, and BYD, and hosts more than 26,000 national high-tech enterprises and 44 unicorn companies.

Media Forum Sets Agenda

The forum, themed “Building a Path to Shared Prosperity for the Asia-Pacific Community: Media Consensus and Action,” was organized by the Central Propaganda Department, Xinhua News Agency, and the Guangdong Provincial People’s Government. Li Shulei, Politburo member and head of the CPC Central Committee’s Publicity Department, delivered a keynote speech in which he stated that “openness is the hallmark of Chinese-style modernization,” adding that China is “unwavering in expanding high-level opening-up” and willing to share development experience with Asia-Pacific countries, as reported by Zaobao.

Huang Kunming, Politburo member and Party Secretary of Guangdong Province, said the province’s development achievements owed much to reform and opening-up. “We must thank reform and opening-up, thank everyone’s support, and thank the world’s participation,” he said, pledging that Guangdong would work to “build a system highland where China connects with the Asia-Pacific.”

The forum released the “Shenzhen Consensus of the Asia-Pacific Media Forum” at its opening, and 16 media organizations from China and abroad launched the Asia-Pacific Media Partnership Organising Committee. Founding organizations include China’s People’s Daily and Xinhua News Agency, Russia’s TASS agency, and Vietnam News Agency, as detailed by Metapress.

Innovation on Display

Forum participants witnessed Shenzhen’s innovation ecosystem firsthand. Cambodian Deputy Secretary of State Brah Tao Amida wore an AI-powered smart ring from Shenzhen-based Jiuzhi Technology, noting the city’s “strong innovation vitality” with AI integrated across industries. Myanmar’s Deputy Minister of Information Ye Din showed particular interest in electric vehicles during a visit to BYD’s headquarters in Pingshan, observing battery and motor details up close.

Data underscores the city’s economic significance to the region. Shenzhen’s imports and exports with APEC economies reached 1.98 trillion yuan in the first half of 2026, a 33% year-on-year increase that ranks first among mainland Chinese cities, according to Xinhua News. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the city added 172 listed companies, bringing its total to 600, and added 7,300 national high-tech enterprises, exceeding 26,000 in total.

Beyond technology, the city’s cultural and ecological dimensions were also showcased. The “Bay Area Eye” book city, one of the world’s largest physical bookstores, and the Futian Mangrove Wetlands offered visitors a different perspective on the city. Fudan University professor Zhang Zhian suggested that “in the mangroves you can slow down and feel things beyond Shenzhen’s speed, feel Shenzhen’s ecology beyond its technology.”

Building Regional Consensus

Pakistan’s State Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman emphasized the importance of mutual understanding in regional cooperation: “Enduring partnerships are built not only on roads, ports, and investments, but also on shared narratives, mutual trust, and mutual understanding.” She added that achieving shared prosperity in the Asia-Pacific “requires cooperation, not coercion; open trade, not barriers; dialogue, not division and confrontation.”

Costas Economou, Senior Vice President at CNN, highlighted the region’s dynamism, noting that the Asia-Pacific “surges with vigorous economic vitality, waves of technological innovation, and brilliant and diverse cultures.” He argued that “this diversity should not be seen as an obstacle, but should be transformed into a source of strength,” as reported by China Youth Network.

Toward the November Summit

The media forum is part of a broader series of events marking APEC’s 2026 “China Year.” Since the launch of the APEC year, over 300 meetings and activities have been held, attracting nearly 7,000 participants, according to China Daily. The Third APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting in Dalian (August 17-28) drew more than 3,000 representatives across over 100 meetings and activities.

This is China’s third time hosting APEC as rotating chair, following Shanghai in 2001 and Beijing in 2014, and the first time Shenzhen has hosted the Economic Leaders’ Meeting. The APEC 2026 theme is “Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together,” with three priorities: openness, innovation, and cooperation.

China has also announced it will establish a “China Center for Promoting APEC Cross-Border Data Flow Cooperation” in Qianhai, Shenzhen, contributing to regional digitalization efforts.

Amjad Aziz Malik, Editor-in-Chief of Pakistan’s Standard Daily, captured the broader significance of Shenzhen’s example: “Shenzhen’s transformation from a border town to a modern international metropolis fully proves that development is by no means accidental, but requires clear priorities, sound institutional systems, and sustained determination for reform.”

As the Asia-Pacific region accounts for one-third of the world’s population, over 60% of global economic output, and nearly half of global trade, the outcomes of the November summit will carry significant weight. With preparations advancing and consensus building across the region, all eyes now turn to Shenzhen as it prepares to host leaders from 21 APEC member economies in November.