On July 24, 2026, the APEC High-Level Forum on AI in Chengdu, China, concluded with the release of a new statement outlining a regional framework for artificial intelligence. Member economies committed to secure development and responsible adoption, while China announced the establishment of a new center in Shenzhen to facilitate cross-border data flows.
Defining the APEC AI Development Statement
The APEC High-Level Forum on AI, hosted by China under the theme of fostering the advancement of artificial intelligence for the benefit of all humanity, was held in Chengdu, Sichuan, on July 24, 2026. As part of the 2026 APEC Digital Week, the forum brought together more than 400 representatives from APEC member economies, the APEC Secretariat, international organizations, scientific research institutions, and market entities to align on a regional approach to emerging technology. The resulting declaration, titled the APEC High-Level Forum on AI Statement on Promoting AI Development in the Asia-Pacific Region, establishes a roadmap for collaborative governance and sets the foundation for future regional cooperation.
According to the document, member economies reaffirmed their commitment to deepening exchanges, building consensus, forging cooperation, and promoting innovation on AI. Participants committed to continuing the implementation of the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040, the APEC Internet and Digital Economy Roadmap (AIDER), and the APEC AI Initiative (2026–2030). The statement emphasizes that while member economies have diverse needs, they share a goal of fostering responsible development and adoption of AI across the Asia-Pacific region.
Key Cooperation Pillars: Security, Infrastructure, and Innovation
The declaration identifies four primary areas for future cooperation to guide the Asia-Pacific economies:
- Secure Development and Deployment: The statement encourages economies to share best practices for building reliable, accessible, scalable, trusted, secure, and resilient digital infrastructure. It explicitly links the growth of AI to the necessity of facilitating cross-border data flows, noting that this is essential for AI development while simultaneously strengthening consumer and business trust.
- Responsible Adoption: The forum encouraged members to advance AI in various forms to empower economic development and create favorable environments for integrating AI into all areas of society. This includes providing accessible education and training resources to improve AI literacy and skills. The statement also recognizes AI’s growing role in promoting trade, modernizing customs procedures, and enhancing enterprise competitiveness.
- Innovation Environments: The declaration supports market-oriented and innovation-driven policies. While respecting safety, data protection, and intellectual property, members are encouraged to support open-source models and projects that incorporate strong security safeguards during development and deployment.
- Inclusive Cooperation: The statement welcomes enhanced capacity building and knowledge sharing among members, utilizing open dialogue and collaborative action between public and private sectors to promote innovation and economic growth.
China’s New Data Center in Shenzhen
A significant practical outcome of the forum was the Chinese government’s announcement that it will establish a center in Shenzhen’s Qianhai district dedicated to promoting cooperation on cross-border data flows within APEC. Hosted by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the forum served as the venue for this announcement. Officials intend for this platform to serve as a comprehensive, open hub for policy research, rule alignment, and industrial services. The platform is designed to support the coordinated development of the Asia-Pacific digital and intelligent industries by providing a space for rule docking and industrial service functions.
Regional Perspectives and Future Dialogue
The event featured keynote speeches, thematic presentations, and roundtable dialogues. Attendees included representatives from various APEC member economies, including Brunei, Thailand, Hong Kong (China), Singapore, the United States, and Malaysia, alongside international technology companies and financial institutions. APEC Secretariat Executive Director Pedroza emphasized the importance of leveraging the complementary advantages of different economies to ensure technology benefits a broader population. APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) Chair Chen Xu proposed utilizing existing APEC cooperation mechanisms to push for the deep integration of AI with the real economy and to continue advancing people-centered regional digital cooperation. Local representatives from Sichuan also noted the region is advancing an “AI+” innovation project, building upon the National New Generation Artificial Intelligence Innovation Development Pilot Zone.
Looking ahead, the member economies have agreed to continue these discussions within the framework of the APEC Digital Economy Steering Group. This includes hosting dedicated AI policy dialogues during plenary meetings of the Digital Economy Steering Group to address innovation, application, accessibility, and other emerging issues as the technology evolves.
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