APEC Finance Chiefs Reach Historic
Consensus in Hong Kong on AI and Infrastructure Financing
Agreements on AI, digital infrastructure
and financial services to help shape discussions at next month’s leaders’
summit in Shenzhen
The two-day APEC Finance Ministers’ Meeting
in Hong Kong concluded with an agreement on macroeconomic policy coordination,
digital infrastructure financing, and expanding financial inclusion. According
to China's Finance Minister Lan Foan, these outcomes lay the groundwork for the
upcoming APEC Economic Leaders’ Summit in Shenzhen on November 18–19,
2026, where US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are
expected to meet.
Core Deliverables
·
Macroeconomic Strategy:
Strengthened policy coordination to counter global volatility, boost household
consumption, and deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) to accelerate
productivity.
·
Infrastructure Funding: Released
a joint policy statement to drive co-financing of regional digital
infrastructure between public bodies, private capital, and multinational
development banks.
·
Financial Inclusion: Expanded
financial access for SMEs and established a new experience-sharing program for
young financial professionals across the 21 APEC economies.
Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (Apec) finance chiefs reached a consensus on economic
policy coordination and cooperation on financing technology and artificial
intelligence at a landmark two-day gathering in Hong Kong, according to China’s
finance minister.
Lan
Foan said the outcomes achieved during the Apec Finance Ministers’ Meeting
would help shape discussions at the leaders’ summit in Shenzhen next month.
“China
will work with all member economies to implement the important consensus
reached at this meeting in Hong Kong and make positive contributions to the
Apec economic leaders’ meeting in November,” Lan said in closing remarks on
Wednesday.
More
than 500 participants, including finance ministers from Apec’s 21 economies,
travelled to Hong Kong for the meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday. The gathering
served as a precursor to the leaders’ summit on November 18 and 19, when
President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump are expected to meet for the
third time this year.
Lan
said the meeting completed all agenda items and delivered a package of
practical measures to address global uncertainties and promote digital
infrastructure financing across the region.
“The
international landscape is intertwined with volatility and uncertainties.
Spillover effects of geopolitical conflicts are spreading, and global economic
growth faces multiple challenges,” Lan said.
“Meanwhile,
a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation,
represented by AI, is bringing fresh opportunities for global common
development.”
Lan
said members had in-depth exchanges on a wide range of issues, reaching
consensus in three key areas and issuing the 2026 Apec Finance Ministers’ joint
statement and a policy statement on enhancing cooperation in digital
infrastructure financing across the region.
The
first area was strengthening coordination on macroeconomic policy to cope with
external risks and challenges, including promoting household consumption,
boosting domestic demand and improving productivity, he added.
“Our
members agreed that we should enhance the soundness of our macroeconomic
policies,” Lan said. “At the same time, we should fully unlock the potential of
emerging technologies such as AI to raise productivity, cultivate new growth
drivers and inject new impetus into Asia-Pacific economic growth.”
The
second major outcome was enhanced regional cooperation on digital
infrastructure financing, Lan said.
“On
digital infrastructure financing, members encouraged the public sector to focus
on creating a favourable policy and supervisory environment,” Lan said, adding
that members also supported the private sector and multinational development
banks jointly financing the digital infrastructure.
The
third area focused on expanding access to financial services for individuals
and businesses.
“Members
agreed that financial services should meet the diversified needs of
individuals, households and enterprises, especially SMEs [small and
medium-sized enterprises], and stressed the importance of sharing experience
and best practices among Apec economies,” he said.
Lan
also said the meeting agreed to launch a programme to support
experience-sharing among young financial professionals.
“We
also held a retreat where participants discussed promoting Asia-Pacific
economic growth in a world in flux and reached consensus,” Lan said.
A
working lunch was held between finance ministers and the Apec Business Advisory
Council to discuss ways to mobilise private capital for digital infrastructure
projects, which yielded positive results, he added.