The 33rd General Meeting of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) was recently held in Shanghai. Professor Sheng Bin, Vice President of Nankai University, and Professor Tu Hong, Deputy Director of APEC Study Center of Nankai University, attended the meeting by invitation and spoke at the event.

This year’s meeting was themed “Promoting Innovation and Cooperation to Achieve Openness and Prosperity in the Asia-Pacific Region”. Nearly 100 participants from more than 20 economies across the Asia-Pacific region gathered to exchange views on promoting openness, connectivity and innovation-driven development in the region, advancing the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) in a practical manner, enhancing regional connectivity, and strengthening cooperation on digital economy and artificial intelligence governance.

Sheng Bin moderated the first session, titled “Deepening Openness: Key Spirit of APEC and Asia-Pacific Community”. The session brought together experts and representatives from Canada, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, China and other members to discuss possible pathways toward the realization of the FTAAP, support for a rule-based multilateral trading system with WTO at its core and necessary WTO reform, as well as stronger seamless connectivity across the Asia-Pacific. Participants agreed that openness and integration are the foundation of Asia-Pacific economic cooperation, underpinning the region’s economic vitality, development momentum and shared prosperity. They noted that as openness and partnership continue to grow stronger, members of the Asia-Pacific community will be better positioned to address the challenges of a rapidly changing regional and global economy through cooperative solutions.

Tu Hong served as a panelist in the special session, titled Advancing APEC's FTAAP Vision. She noted that, against the current international backdrop, APEC should continue to play its role as an incubator for the FTAAP and work to transform the FTAAP from a broad vision into an actionable agenda. She also emphasized the need to make capacity building an important component of the FTAAP and to strengthen business engagement. She also noted that the significance of the FTAAP lies not only in building a future free trade area in the Asia-Pacific, but also in showing the world that the region remains capable of advancing economic integration through dialogue rather than confrontation, openness rather than closure, and convergence rather than fragmentation.

（Edited and translated by Nankai News Team.)