Officials gather for the opening session of the Second Senior Officials' Meeting of APEC China 2026 in Shanghai on May 18. China News Service

The opening session of the Second Senior Officials' Meeting of APEC China 2026 was held in Shanghai on May 18. 

Chinese organizers said the meeting would review progress on APEC cooperation initiatives midway through the year and help lay the groundwork for ministerial meetings and the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting scheduled for Nov. 18-19 in Shenzhen.

Senior Officials’ Meetings serve as the main coordination mechanism for advancing APEC cooperation and preparing policy outcomes for leaders and ministers.

China is serving as the APEC host economy for the third time, having previously hosted the forum in Shanghai in 2001 and in Beijing in 2014.

This year’s senior officials’ meetings are being held in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Dalian in February, May and August, respectively.

Founded in 1989, APEC is a regional economic forum comprising 21 member economies that promotes trade, investment and economic cooperation across the Asia-Pacific region.