It was the first time that the APEC meeting was held in a Pacific island nation – Papua New Guinea, the weakest economy of the 21 APEC members. The event highlighted the growing influence of the South Pacific region. 

Though the absence of U.S. President Donald Trump in the region was palpable, Chinese President Xi Jinping's attendance has helped deepen ties on all fronts across Asia-Pacific stakeholders. These relationships will reinforce cooperation at a time when seismic changes to the multilateral world order are occurring.