Open Cooperation, Innovation for Shared Prosperity

Summary

Shenzhen will host the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November 2026, marking China's return as APEC host after 12 years. President Xi Jinping extended the invitation on November 1, 2025. Shenzhen, a window of China's opening-up, recorded 273 million border passenger movements in 2025.

In the first half of this year, the city's imports and exports with other APEC economies reached 1.98 trillion yuan, up 33 percent year on year, ranking first among mainland Chinese cities. Actual foreign investment utilisation exceeded 32 billion yuan, surging over 50 percent, with 93.6 percent sourced from APEC member economies. In technological innovation, BYD's new energy vehicles have entered 119 countries and regions, with overseas sales reaching 1.0496 million vehicles in 2025, up 145 percent year on year.

Shenzhen's exports of 3D printers totalled 5.24 billion yuan, up 128.6 percent. China's total R&D spending in 2025 reached 3.9262 trillion yuan, accounting for 2.80 percent of GDP. China will hold about 300 APEC-related events this year, promoting common prosperity through open cooperation and innovation.

Commentary

Shenzhen's hosting of the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting underscores China's pivotal role in Asia-Pacific regional cooperation. For New Zealand small business owners, opportunities and challenges coexist. On one hand, China, New Zealand's largest trading partner, has signalled openness: Shenzhen's imports and exports with APEC economies grew 33 percent in the first half of the year, 93.6 percent of foreign capital utilisation came from APEC member states, and BYD's overseas sales surged 145 percent.

This creates more stable market expectations for New Zealand agri-food exporters such as Fonterra and Zespri. Meanwhile, the boom in 'tech specialities' at Shenzhen's Huaqiangbei and the fact that 3D printer exports account for 85 percent of the national total suggest that NZ small tech firms could leverage Shenzhen's supply chain advantages to find OEM or joint R&D partners in consumer electronics and green technology. On the other hand, Chinese manufacturing is penetrating more deeply into the Asia-Pacific: innovative products such as robotic lawnmowers and electric jet skis directly compete with New Zealand's local gardening and leisure equipment.

If local firms fail to embrace digital transformation, they risk losing market share. Trade facilitation under the APEC framework is advancing, but non-tariff barriers and intellectual property protection remain real risks. New Zealand businesses should seize the opportunity of the about 300 pre-meeting events to actively assess the feasibility of using Shenzhen as a distribution or R&D hub in the Asia-Pacific, rather than passively waiting for spill-over benefits.

Keywords: APEC, Shenzhen, open cooperation, scientific and technological innovation, Asia-Pacific economy, mutual benefit, imports and exports, foreign investment, BYD

Source: Xinhua Net