Dolphin mascots, dubbed as the "great bay chickens," joyfully welcomed guests, while vibrant Chinese New Year flowers and kumquats, as well as an array of "Guangzhou Gifts," filled the venue with festive cheer. On February 1st, the International Hall of Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center was bustling with guests, where the First Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Senior Officials' Meeting and Related Meetings in 2026 officially kicked off.

As the first official event of the APEC "China Year," the meeting focuses on the theme "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together," and the three priorities of "openness, innovation and cooperation" for APEC in 2026. It aims to fully launch cooperation across various fields and mechanisms, and conduct in-depth discussions on specific cooperation to accumulate outcomes for the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November.

The day also featured the 27th APEC Policy Partnership for Science, Technology and Innovation (PPSTI), the 13th APEC Network of Anti-Corruption Authorities and Law Enforcements Agencies (ACT-NET), the 4th plenary session of the Regulatory Harmonization Steering Committee (RHSC), and the Health Working Group Meeting.

The guests experienced operating the intelligent robotic arm at the Hai Xinsha Full-Space Intelligent Experience Center

Idamazura from the Medical Device Authority(MDA) in Malaysia, who attended the 4th plenary session of the RHSC, remarked that Guangzhou impressed her as a clean and beautiful city filled with greenery and flowers. She said she hoped that through in-depth exchanges and discussions, APEC economies could achieve coordination and harmonization in the regulatory frameworks for medical devices, and establish strong cooperative relationships among member economies.

It's reported that during the meeting period from February 1st to 10th, over 70 meetings and related events will be held, covering a wide range of topics including trade and investment, economic and technical cooperation, science and technological innovation, the digital economy, cross-border e-commerce, market access, oceans and fisheries, intellectual property, food security, health and hygiene, connectivity, and the digitalization of small and medium-sized enterprises. More than 1,000 representatives from the APEC member economies, the APEC Secretariat, the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), and other stakeholders are expected to attend.