Preparations for the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Shenzhen, south China, are fully complete, local officials announced at a press briefing on Nov. 14, 2026.
The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting runs on Nov. 18 and 19, Wang Xi, deputy head of the provincial preparatory leading group, told the briefing. Organizers have integrated green practices, traditional Chinese and local Lingnan culture, and digital technologies into venue preparations. Guangdong will offer 218 visitor sites and 43 routes during the meeting week.
Shenzhen Mayor Li Yun said all venues and facilities are ready. The city upgraded transport, power, communications, and hotel services while minimizing disruption to residents.
Shenzhen has recorded more than 5 trillion yuan, or about 744.6 billion U.S. dollars, in foreign trade, making it the first city in the Chinese mainland to reach this milestone. Shenzhen Customs reported that imports and exports totaled 5.25 trillion yuan in the first 10 months of the year, marking a 40.9 percent year-on-year increase. Exports rose 19.7 percent to 2.71 trillion yuan, while imports surged 73.7 percent to 2.54 trillion yuan.
Organizers arranged reception, accommodation, catering, transport, medical care, and public security measures. Dedicated channels are available at nine sea, land, air, and rail ports. The city installed more than 7,000 AI translation devices and standardized over 100,000 foreign-language signs, with taxis providing bilingual announcements.
More than 3,000 ATMs support cash withdrawals for foreign bank cards, and over 1,600 bank branches offer currency exchange. Metro fare gates accept contactless payments with overseas bank cards. The city also expanded its departure tax-refund program to 3,160 stores, including over 1,000 offering instant refunds.
Earlier in the year, officials addressed the Third APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting in August, noting that officials reviewed progress across trade, transport, food, customs, energy, and health, according to apec2026.cn.
“Our main task is to review the progress made, work for more deliverables across all sectors, and make sound preparations for the Economic Leaders’ Meeting at the end of the year,” an official said.
Keep reading