Gyeongju, the historic city of UNESCO-listed heritage sites, is gearing up to host the 2025 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting from October 31 to November 1. This gathering will bring world leaders to the seaside city, spotlighting the future of trade, technology and sustainability.
What is APEC?
APEC is a forum of 21 economies that advances free trade and economic cooperation across the Asia-Pacific region. Its members include major economies such as the Chinese mainland, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Indonesia, alongside smaller Pacific and Latin American nations. Together, APEC members represent nearly 40% of the world’s population, half of global trade and over 60% of global GDP. Since 1989, trade within the region surged from $3 trillion to $14 trillion, while average tariffs plunged from just over 10% to below 5%, underscoring APEC’s role in driving openness and prosperity.
Why the 2025 meeting matters
Against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, supply-chain shocks and debates over AI governance, this year’s theme—'Building a Sustainable Tomorrow: Connect, Innovate and Prosper'—sets an ambitious agenda. Under the 'Connect' pillar, leaders will explore ways to fortify trade networks and supply chains, including support for WTO reforms and advancement of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) talks.
The 'Innovate' pillar will tackle digital transformation and inclusive access to emerging tech, focusing on helping smaller economies and vulnerable groups navigate an AI-driven future. Meanwhile, 'Prosper' zeroes in on sustainable growth through clean energy, food security and green investment, with expected announcements on renewable projects, hydrogen technologies and initiatives to empower women, youth and small businesses.
Who’s attending?
All 21 APEC economies will be represented by their leaders or senior envoys. The United States, the Chinese mainland and Japan are poised to shape the summit’s tone, while emerging players like Vietnam, Indonesia and Chile will advocate for more inclusive outcomes. Ahead of the leaders’ meeting, the APEC CEO Summit will convene hundreds of executives—including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew—to discuss investment and innovation trends.
Expected outcomes
While binding agreements are rare, the summit often sets the region’s economic course. Watch for a joint declaration on trade and digital cooperation, concrete clean-energy commitments, progress on WTO reform and the FTAAP, plus new initiatives on digital inclusion and AI governance.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
