The 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting opened on Friday in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province.

Aligning with the theme of the APEC 2026 "China Year" – "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together" – the two-day meeting will discuss a range of priority issues, including regional economic integration, support for the World Trade Organization, digital cooperation and the green economy.

The agenda covers discussions on macro-level issues such as economic governance, as well as practical cooperation in emerging and frontier areas of common concern to all parties.

As an important institutional meeting customarily held midway through the APEC host year, the trade ministers' meeting is tasked with contributing outcomes to the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and serves as a barometer of economic and trade policy trends in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao said.

Wang noted that the meeting is taking place against the backdrop of a complex international landscape, marked by escalating geopolitical tensions and the rise of unilateralism and protectionism, which have posed severe challenges to the global economic and trade order and weighed on growth in both the Asia-Pacific region and the wider world.

Under such circumstances, all parties are placing greater expectations on the meeting to build consensus and deliver tangible outcomes, he said.

Over the past 35 years since joining APEC, China has remained a steadfast supporter and important contributor to the organization, as well as an active advocate and leader in Asia-Pacific economic and trade cooperation, the minister said.

China will continue to expand high-standard opening up and pursue mutually beneficial cooperation to inject strong momentum into economic development across the Asia-Pacific region, he noted.

The country will remain committed to openness and connectivity and work to build an open Asia-Pacific economy, Wang said, adding that the country will stick to the principle of pursuing its own development while benefiting others and create new opportunities for the Asia-Pacific region and the world through new achievements in Chinese modernization.