APEC leaders' meeting to be held in Shenzhen on November 18–19, Xi to chair

China's Foreign Ministry announced on Friday, November 13, that this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in Shenzhen on November 18–19, with President Xi Jinping chairing the meeting and delivering remarks. Xi will also deliver a keynote speech at the APEC CEO Summit, to be held in Shenzhen on November 17–18.

This year's theme is "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together", with three priorities: openness, innovation and cooperation. It is the third time China has hosted the APEC leaders' gathering, after Shanghai in 2001 and Beijing in 2014.

Trump and Putin expected to attend

US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are among those expected to attend, according to Reuters. APEC has 21 member economies, and next week's summit will bring the US, Chinese and Russian leaders together in one place.

Shenzhen Customs data show the city's imports and exports with other APEC economies reached 3.23 trillion yuan ($484.2 billion) in the first three quarters of 2026, up 40 per cent year on year, the highest among cities on the Chinese mainland.

Shenzhen is a technology hub in southern China and one of the country's most active trading cities. The outcomes of the meeting will be announced after it concludes next week.

(File photo: the Shenzhen skyline. Image: wallpapers.com)