Preparations for the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, are complete, local officials said at a press briefing.
Wang Xi, deputy head of the provincial preparatory leading group, said the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in Shenzhen on Nov 18 and 19, 2026. Organizers have incorporated green practices, elements of traditional Chinese culture and Lingnan culture, and digital technologies into venue preparation and services. During the meeting week, Guangdong will offer 218 visitor sites and 43 suggested routes, including two representative routes in Shenzhen.
Wang added that they have upgraded key venues and conducted comprehensive rehearsals. Authorities have also put in place arrangements covering reception, accommodation, catering, transportation, medical care, and interpretation, as well as support for communications, weather services, public security, public health, and city operations.
Shenzhen Mayor Li Yun said all venues and facilities are ready. The city has strengthened transport, power supply, communications, and hotel services, while also working to minimize disruption to residents' daily lives.
To facilitate travel and day-to-day transactions for visiting delegates, Shenzhen has introduced a set of convenience measures. Dedicated channels for meeting representatives will be available at nine ports spanning sea, land, air, and rail. The city has standardized more than 100,000 foreign-language signs and installed over 7,000 AI translation devices at key locations, while taxis will provide bilingual announcements.
Officials said more than 3,000 ATMs in Shenzhen support cash withdrawals using overseas bank cards, and more than 1,600 bank branches provide currency exchange. The city's metro fare gates will accept contactless payments with overseas bank cards, and its departure tax-refund program has been expanded to 3,160 stores, including more than 1,000 that offer instant refunds.
At the briefing, officials also released data showing that Shenzhen has become the first city on the Chinese mainland to record more than 5 trillion yuan in foreign trade. Shenzhen Customs said the city's total imports and exports reached 5.25 trillion yuan in the first 10 months of the year, up 40.9% year-on-year, with exports rising 19.7% to 2.71 trillion yuan and imports surging 73.7% to 2.54 trillion yuan.
Comment