Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu speaks at the opening session of the Third APEC Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) of APEC China 2026. Xinhua

The Third APEC Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) of APEC China 2026 was held in Dalian, Liaoning Province from Aug. 27 to 28, 2026.

Since the launch of the APEC "China Year," all parties have further built consensus on and initially outlined the main pillars for building an Asia-Pacific community through in-depth exchanges, injecting new momentum into regional economic integration, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said at the opening session of the meeting.

As the host of APEC in 2026, China will join hands with all APEC parties to focus on practical cooperation and inclusive development, work for deliverables for the Economic Leaders' Meeting, and deepen the building of an Asia-Pacific community, he added.

Participants spoke highly of the progress made in cooperation across all fields during the APEC "China Year" and commended China's efforts in promoting the building of an Asia-Pacific community. They also expressed hope for fruitful outcomes from the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen, aiming to contribute further to development in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

According to Chinese Foreign Ministry, this meeting is the largest of this year's APEC senior officials' meetings in terms of both attendance and number of events. During the meeting, APEC committees and working groups held nearly 130 meetings and events, covering trade, transportation, food, customs, science and technology, energy, health, disaster reduction and anti-corruption.

More than 3,000 representatives from APEC member economies, the APEC Secretariat and the APEC observers attended the meeting. Prior to this meeting, China has held two senior officials' meetings in Guangzhou and Shanghai.

Officials attend the opening session of the Third APEC Senior Officials' Meeting of APEC China 2026. Xinhua