Dolphin mascots, dubbed as the "great bay chickens," joyfully welcomed guests, while vibrant Chinese New Year flowers and kumquats, as well as an array of "Guangzhou Gifts," filled the venue with festive cheer. On February 1st, the International Hall of Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center was bustling with guests, where the First Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Senior Officials' Meeting and Related Meetings in 2026 officially kicked off.

As the first official event of the APEC "China Year,"the meeting focuses on the theme "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together," and the three priorities of "openness, innovation and cooperation" for APEC in 2026. It aims to fully launch cooperation across various fields and mechanisms, and conduct in-depth discussions on specific cooperation to accumulate outcomes for the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November.

The day also featured the 27th APEC Policy Partnership for Science, Technology and Innovation (PPSTI), the 13th APEC Network of Anti-Corruption Authorities and Law Enforcements Agencies (ACT-NET), the 4th plenary session of the Regulatory Harmonization Steering Committee (RHSC), and the Health Working Group Meeting.

Idamazura from the Medical Device Authority(MDA) in Malaysia, who attended the 4th plenary session of the RHSC, remarked that Guangzhou impressed her as a clean and beautiful city filled with greenery and flowers. She said she hoped that through in-depth exchanges and discussions, APEC economies could achieve coordination and harmonization in the regulatory frameworks for medical devices, and establish strong cooperative relationships among member economies.

It's reported that during the meeting period from February 1st to 10th, over 70 meetings and related events will be held, covering a wide range of topics including trade and investment, economic and technical cooperation, science and technological innovation, the digital economy, cross-border e-commerce, market access, oceans and fisheries, intellectual property, food security, health and hygiene, connectivity, and the digitalization of small and medium-sized enterprises. More than 1,000 representatives from the APEC member economies, the APEC Secretariat, the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), and other stakeholders are expected to attend.

APEC“中国年”首场正式活动在穗开启

“大湾鸡”欢乐迎宾、年花年桔年味十足、“广州礼物”琳琅满目……2月1日的广州白云国际会议中心国际会堂喜气洋洋、宾客云集，2026年APEC第一次高官会及相关会议在此拉开帷幕。

此次会议是APEC“中国年”首场正式活动，将聚焦2026年APEC会议主题“建设亚太共同体，促进共同繁荣”和三大优先领域“开放、创新、合作”，全面启动各领域各机制合作，深入讨论具体合作，为11月领导人非正式会议积累成果。

当日举行了第27届APEC科技与创新政策伙伴关系会议、第13届APEC反腐败机构与执法机构网络会议、第4届监管协调指导委员会全体会议、卫生工作组会议等。

“广州满眼翠绿、鲜花遍地，是一座干净美丽的城市。”参加第4届监管协调指导委员会全体会议、来自马来西亚医疗器械管理局的Idamazura向记者表示，期待通过深入交流探讨，APEC经济体能够在医疗器械监管框架方面实现协调统一，希望各经济体之间能建立强有力的协作关系。

据悉，会议期间（2月1日-10日）将举办70多场会议及相关活动，涉及贸易投资、经济技术合作、科技创新、数字经济、跨境电商、市场准入、海洋与渔业、知识产权、粮食安全、卫生健康、互联互通、中小企业数字化等若干议题，预计将有来自APEC各成员经济体、秘书处、工商咨询理事会等的1000多名代表与会。

文｜记者 罗仕、付怡
图｜记者 梁喻
译｜盛嘉
英文审校｜肖凯欣