The picturesque land of South Guangdong is hosting a grand gathering of the Asia-Pacific media industry.
As an important part of the series of events marking the “Year of China” at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Asia-Pacific Media High-Level Forum was held in Shenzhen on September 5. More than 400 representatives from Chinese and international media outlets, think tanks, government agencies, and other sectors gathered to discuss media cooperation and the future of the Asia-Pacific region.
In two months, the global media spotlight will once again turn to this “City of the Future.” Leaders from APEC economies will gather here to chart a new course for cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Media professionals in the Asia-Pacific region look forward to the 33rd APEC Leaders’ Informal Meeting this fall, which is expected to further advance the building of an Asia-Pacific community and inject new momentum into deepening Asia-Pacific cooperation and promoting shared prosperity.
Building an Asia-Pacific Community Together
Currently, global instability and uncertainty are on the rise. Faced with the pressing question of “Where is Asia-Pacific development headed?”, China is committed to promoting the building of an Asia-Pacific community, To this end, China has designated “Building an Asia-Pacific Community, Promoting Shared Prosperity” as the theme for this year’s conference and has proposed building a prosperous and stable Asia-Pacific, an open and interconnected Asia-Pacific, an inclusive and equitable Asia-Pacific, and a united and cooperative Asia-Pacific.
This theme and the four proposals for development resonated deeply with the attendees. Voices from different economies converged in Shenzhen to form a symphony of joint efforts to build an Asia-Pacific community.
“The Asia-Pacific Community is a partnership founded on mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, shared prosperity, and cultural diversity. It is not merely a geographical concept, but rather a community bound together by a shared desire for stability, economic development, and human progress,” said Syed Ahmed, head of the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, in an interview.
“The Asia-Pacific is a vast ocean formed by the convergence of countless rivers,” said Surachai Lekkasen, Director-General of the Office of Public Relations at the Office of the Prime Minister of Thailand. “Sustainable prosperity is rooted in mutual learning and the collective wisdom of the peoples of all nations.”
The Asia-Pacific region accounts for one-third of the world’s population, more than 60 percent of the global economy, and nearly half of global trade, making it a key engine of global economic growth. “The ‘Asia-Pacific Miracle’ is by no means a historical coincidence; rather, it has been forged through a collective commitment to openness, pragmatic cooperation, and mutual respect,” said Kanpong Mahanuk, president of the Thailand-China Journalists Association. “The media should help all parties identify new opportunities in a timely manner and work together to build a resilient Asia-Pacific community.”
During the forum, the Xinhua News Agency’s National High-Level Think Tank released a report titled “Openness, Innovation, and Cooperation—Building a More Prosperous Asia-Pacific Community” to a global audience, comprehensively showcasing the broad prospects and global significance of building a more prosperous Asia-Pacific community. Surab Gupta, a senior researcher at the U.S.-China Research Center, expressed strong agreement with the report’s main themes. He said that peace, prosperity, and stability are the shared aspirations of the Asia-Pacific region, and that Asia’s rise is a positive development and a stabilizing force in international relations.
“The Asia-Pacific region’s shared prosperity is achieved through cooperation, not coercion; stems from openness, not the erection of walls; and depends on dialogue, not division.” Saezra Haral, State Minister of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment Coordination of Pakistan, said at the forum’s opening ceremony. She called on media professionals to spread this consensus and help the public develop a rational understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the region.
Building a Path to Prosperity Together
“Openness, Innovation, and Cooperation”—these are the three priority areas for the “China Year” of APEC, and they have been frequently discussed both inside and outside the conference venue. Participants believe that these three priority areas effectively address the concerns of all parties and are closely aligned with the development priorities of APEC economies; focusing on these areas will significantly promote regional innovation and economic integration.
Openness is the lifeline of prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.At present, with the international landscape marked by complex and turbulent developments and the resurgence of protectionist tendencies, the importance of building an open economy, opposing protectionism, and promoting the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment has become even more evident.
Nguyen Ha Phuong, a senior researcher at the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences, said that amid growing uncertainty, a prosperous and stable Asia-Pacific region requires all economies to continue opening channels for trade, investment, and dialogue. Openness can provide businesses with more options and make supply chains more diverse and resilient.
Innovation is the driving force behind the Asia-Pacific region's prosperity.At the forum’s science and technology exhibition, attendees eagerly experienced the smart lifestyle enabled by artificial intelligence and expressed their hope that APEC members would remain committed to innovation-driven development and foster new areas of cooperation.
“Shenzhen is a city of the future, where autonomous driving and drone food delivery have become part of everyday life,” remarked Liu Shangzhe, director of the China Research Institute at South Korea’s *JoongAng Ilbo*. “China is leading global innovation through technological advancements in fields such as artificial intelligence and is integrating digitalization and green development into its economic growth. This offers insights and opportunities for countries in the Asia-Pacific region.”
Cooperation is the foundation of prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.Since the beginning of this year, as the APEC “China Year” activities have gradually unfolded, member economies have continued to advance practical cooperation in areas such as food security, fisheries and marine affairs, and energy. They have consistently sought to leverage their comparative advantages, align policies, and share experiences to achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.
“Asia-Pacific cooperation has opened up a vast new world for us,” said Felipe Cuadra, chief advisor of Chile’s *La Tercera* newspaper, adding that Latin America needs diverse and stable partners to better cope with external shocks.
Sharing the Opportunities of Chinese-Style Modernization
APEC’s “Year of China” coincides with the first year of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan. Standing at this new historical juncture, China is further deepening reform across the board, unwaveringly expanding high-level opening-up, and continuously providing new opportunities for the Asia-Pacific region and the world through new achievements in China’s modernization.
During the forum, participants visited Guangzhou, Foshan, Dongguan, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Zhongshan, where they witnessed the vitality and openness of the Chinese economy. After visiting the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge, Félix Paz, president of Peru’s Andean News Agency, was deeply impressed by this “mega-project.” It reminded him of the Port of Chinchay in Peru, which also serves as a transportation hub. He hopes to draw on China’s development experience to build the Port of Chinchay into a vital link connecting Latin America and Asia in the future.
“The on-site visits allowed us to experience firsthand China’s pace of development, industrial vitality, and its ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Vergandi Prayudantoro, Editor-in-Chief of Indonesia’s Antara News Agency, expressing his deep impressions. He noted that China is a staunch defender of multilateralism and a key engine of the global economy. By once again hosting APEC, China will not only inject strong momentum into regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific but also provide greater certainty to a world undergoing turbulent change.
In recent years, China has continued to advance high-level opening-up and consistently shared the benefits of its institutional reforms with the world. From expanding market access and opening up sectors such as education, finance, and healthcare, to expanding the scope of pilot free trade zones, and on to the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port, China has steadily advanced institutional opening-up in areas such as rules, regulations, management, and standards, further bolstering global confidence.
Diego Rusalin, director of the Mexican media company MPV, said that over the past 40-plus years, China has become an important model for countries in the Global South as they pursue development, providing inspiration for the region.
China’s doors to the world are opening ever wider, with visa-free travel continuing to expand. “Travel to China” and “Shopping in China” remain incredibly popular, and it has become even more convenient for foreign friends to invest, work, and live in China. In 2025, the number of people entering and exiting through Shenzhen’s border crossings reached 273 million, ranking first nationwide.
According to Ivan Sinichkin, deputy editor-in-chief of *Izvestia*, the vibrancy of people-to-people and trade exchanges reflects foreign investors’ confidence in expanding their presence in China and establishing a foothold in the Asia-Pacific market, as well as the shared consensus among Asia-Pacific economies to reap the benefits of China’s modernization and pursue common development.
"One day, the great peng will take flight with the wind and soar straight up to 90,000 li." Let us meet in Shenzhen, the City of the Peng. China looks forward to working with all parties to continuously build consensus and pool our strengths on the journey toward building an Asia-Pacific community, so that we may make new and greater contributions to advancing regional cooperation and promoting shared prosperity.
Source: Xinhua News Agency, Shenzhen News
