Summary
The Asia-Pacific Media High-Level Forum will open in Shenzhen on September 5, under the theme 'Building a Shared Future for the Asia-Pacific Community: Consensus and Action of Media'. The forum brings together over 400 representatives from media, think tanks, and government departments across 42 countries and regions, as well as United Nations agencies and international organizations. It is an important part of the 'China Year' series of activities for APEC.
This year marks China's third time hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will subsequently be held in Shenzhen. Before the forum opened, guests visited Greater Bay Area cities including Guangzhou, Foshan, Dongguan, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Zhongshan, touring the fully automated fourth-phase terminal at Nansha Port Area of Guangzhou Port, the 'Lighthouse Factory' in Foshan, and smart factories in Dongguan. They also held four sub-forums in Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhuhai, and Shenzhen on themes such as open innovation cooperation, digital, intelligent, and green transformation, and people-to-people exchanges.
Guests generally expressed that Asia-Pacific parties should uphold openness and cooperation and oppose protectionism. Felix Paz, Director of the Andina News Agency of Peru, proposed promoting the establishment of a permanent mechanism for young journalist exchanges among Asia-Pacific media. Donovan Martin, CEO of Daily News in Canada, called on Western media to report on China more objectively.
Aminath Namza, President of Public Service Media in the Maldives, emphasized that people should be placed at the core of development. All parties look forward to the forum building consensus and contributing media and think tank strength to the construction of the Asia-Pacific community.
Commentary
The Asia-Pacific Media High-End Forum recently opened in Shenzhen, attracting over 400 delegates from 42 countries and regions, who also conducted on-site inspections of the fully automated terminal at Guangzhou Port, the Foshan Lighthouse Factory, and the Dongguan Smart Factory. The signal of openness and cooperation released by this APEC China Year event deserves the attention of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners in New Zealand. China is New Zealand's largest trading partner, accounting for about one-third of New Zealand's total exports, and the Greater Bay Area is one of China's most dynamic consumer and manufacturing centers.
APEC member economies account for about 70% of New Zealand's total trade, and the trade facilitation agenda promoted by the forum directly affects the export environment for New Zealand SMEs. On the one hand, the supply chain efficiency advantages of the Greater Bay Area are evident: Phase IV of the Nansha Port Area has 153 direct shipping routes to countries along the Belt and Road, and within a two-hour commuting circle, product prototyping to mass production can be realized. If New Zealand exporters connect with the logistics nodes of the Greater Bay Area, they can significantly shorten order delivery cycles, especially suitable for fresh food and seasonal products.
On the other hand, the forum emphasized opposition to protectionism and 'decoupling and supply chain disruption,' but industrial competition within the Asia-Pacific region is also intensifying. China's manufacturing sector is accelerating its digital and green transformation, with low-cost advantages gradually giving way to technological barriers and sustainability standards. If New Zealand SMEs rely solely on traditional agricultural product exports, they may face competition from lower-priced rivals from Southeast Asia and elsewhere.
Actionable strategies include: leveraging the cold chain warehouse clusters of the Nansha International Logistics Center to test
Keywords: Asia-Pacific Media High-Level Forum, APEC, Shenzhen, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Media Think Tank, Open Cooperation, Asia-Pacific Community, Shared Prosperity
Source: Xinhua Net
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