中文
By Azhar Azam
Lead: As the United States doubles down on tariffs and trade barriers, business leaders from across the Asia-Pacific are looking to China to hold the line on open markets.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council (ABAC) concluded its meeting in Mexico City recently, with a strong and unified call to restore stability in global trade. The event brought together some 200 business leaders and policymakers from China and 20 other APEC economies – collectively representing about 60% of global GDP – who urged bold, coordinated action to safeguard long-term prosperity across the region.
Delegates expressed deep concerns over mounting pressures on the global economy, including energy market volatility, persistent supply chain disruptions, rising trade and investment restrictions, and growing food security risks. Long-term growth, they said, depends on open markets and the adoption of digital and green infrastructure.
In response, ABAC outlined priority actions: accelerating progress toward the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), strengthening supply chain resilience, investing in trade and logistics infrastructure and reducing non-tariff barriers to food trade. The measures, members said, are necessary to stabilize trade flows and bolster the region's capacity to absorb external shocks.
The outcomes of the meeting reflected a convergence on restoring stability and predictability to the global economy, reviving growth momentum and reinforcing the foundations of regional economic cooperation. Delegates conveyed a shared concern that increasing fragmentation, supply shocks and policy uncertainty are eroding confidence and constraining economic activity across the Asia-Pacific.
To address these threats, members called for advancing early deliverables and harmonized trade rules and regulatory frameworks, enhancing transparency, reducing trade barriers, establishing permanent ban on tariffs for digital products and promoting the responsible use of artificial intelligence. The measures aim to boost cross-border trade and investment, laying the groundwork for a more inclusive Asia-Pacific.
In a world dominated by steeply rising protectionism and unilateralism, ABAC has set out a strategic direction for the region. Launched in February, its 2026 work program under the theme “Openness, Connectivity and Synergy” reaffirms its commitment to open markets, regional integration and collaborative innovation.
Openness, anchored in trade and investment liberalization, and stronger connectivity protect economic expansion by fortifying supply chain stability, regional linkages and people-to-people exchanges. Synergy serves as the driver of innovation and sustainable development, enabling economies to collectively harness technological change and translate it into more buoyant growth for economies in the region.
A consensus also emerged on a rules-based, open-market approach with resilience built through robust supply chains, improved connectivity and greater transparency. The meeting also emphasized trade facilitation and digital modernization, such as paperless systems and interoperable regulatory frameworks, alongside closer alignment between the business community and policymakers. This implied an implementation-focused agenda to improve the efficiency of the regional economy.
The meeting sent positive signals for shoring up cooperation across the Asia-Pacific, with the council releasing statements on FTAAP progress and renewing its commitment to the APEC Connectivity Blueprint.
In line with the Ichma Statement, the council outlined parallel strategies to accelerate the FTAAP, combining near-term steps with longer-term structural reforms. The approach reflects a focus on translating existing mechanisms into coordinated action, reinforced by a commitment to a connectivity framework spanning physical, institutional and people-to-people linkages — aimed at enabling seamless regional flows of trade, services and talent.
ABAC is widely regarded as a key mechanism for translating complex geopolitical shifts and evolving business conditions into actionable recommendations. Feedback from the recent session underscored a shared sense of urgency for decisive action to restore stability in global trade to ensure policies remain grounded in economic realities.
Representatives from participating economies and organizations similarly view the forum as a key bridge between government priorities and business execution while expecting ABAC to place greater emphasis on technology and innovation integration, particularly the widening AI and digital divide. This elevates ABAC from an advisory body to a conduit, linking policy direction with real-world application.
ABAC is not just about making statements or recommendations. It helps turn ideas into practical steps that economies can implement. Given that APEC members are at different stages of development, the focus is on making cooperation workable. The meeting’s outcomes show the council is steering efforts toward stable trade frameworks, stronger supply chains and expanded digital trade to address current economic pressures and reduce frictions in cross-border commerce.
Support from member economies, together with concerns over America's increasingly protectionist trade stance, adds weight to this direction. Countries have expressed backing for an action-oriented ABAC agenda under China’s APEC chairmanship alongside efforts to protect supply chain security, diversify trade links and fast-track digital transition. This points to a common recognition of the importance of upholding the rules-based multilateral trading system while encouraging innovation and supporting investment-led development across the Asia-Pacific.
Long committed to regional integration, Beijing has advocated the concept of a community with a shared future and championed multilateralism and free trade, offering developing countries access to capital and technology. As the chair of the 2026 APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting, the world's second-largest economy is expected to play a constructive role in advancing these goals, contributing to regional and global economic growth.
China is a major trading partner and a leading source of investment and infrastructure financing for many countries, earning growing international influence. Through connectivity projects of the Belt and Road Initiative, China has helped foster intra- and inter-regional trade and cultural and people-to-people exchanges across the Asia-Pacific and beyond. This positions Beijing to play a more active role in promoting dialogue, ensuring stability and maintaining focus on regional development.
The Mexico City meeting underscored ABAC's potential to serve as a stabilizing platform for the regional economy amid heightened global uncertainty. As trade policies become more restrictive and security-driven, the talks revealed a clear interest across the Asia-Pacific in preserving open markets and keeping economic priorities aligned.
As geopolitical tensions spill further into economic relations, China’s role – as APEC host and a key economic player – takes on greater significance. Its emphasis on non-interference, openness and inclusive growth may help shape the trajectory of regional cooperation and stability; against rising fragmentation, Beijing's pursuit of integration could help restore economic activity and business confidence in the Asia-Pacific.
As the region navigates a more complex global environment, this cooperation-driven leadership is essential to sustain growth, ease tensions and build an open and resilient regional economy.
Azhar Azam is a geopolitical analyst with a focus on economics, climate change and international security.
