APEC 2026 in China: Shenzhen Summit Dates, Agenda and Leaders
APEC leaders meet in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19, 2026, China's first time as host since 2014. Here is the schedule, the agenda, who is expected and why it matters.
- The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting is in Shenzhen, China, on November 18-19, 2026, after the CEO Summit on November 17-18.
- China's theme is "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together," with openness, innovation and cooperation as priorities.
- Trump intends to attend and meet Xi; a Putin-Trump-Xi meeting has been floated by the Kremlin but is not agreed.
The APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, the main event of APEC 2026, takes place in Shenzhen, China, on Wednesday and Thursday, November 18 and 19, 2026. Shenzhen runs on China Standard Time (UTC+8), so a 9 a.m. start there is 01:00 UTC, 02:00 CET, 6:30 a.m. IST and noon AEDT on the same day, and 8 p.m. ET on the evening before. Session times have not been published.
It is the 33rd meeting of leaders from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum's 21 member economies, and China's first time as host since 2014. Here is the schedule, the agenda, who is expected and why it matters, as of October 27, 2026.
When and where is APEC 2026?
The APEC website lists the closing week of China's host year in Shenzhen, in southern Guangdong province:
- November 14-15: Concluding Senior Officials' Meeting
- November 14-16: fourth meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council
- November 17-18: APEC CEO Summit
- November 18-19: Economic Leaders' Meeting
The Shenzhen city government, citing Xinhua, gives the same dates for the leaders' meeting and the CEO Summit. China's official APEC 2026 website lists earlier meetings across the country, most recently the finance ministers in Hong Kong on October 21. Earlier sessions were held in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Suzhou, Chengdu, Dalian, Beijing and Nanjing.
President Xi Jinping announced Shenzhen as host when China took over APEC on November 1, 2025, according to China's foreign ministry. He described the city, a fishing village only decades ago, as an important window on China's opening-up. Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Shenzhen would "present a splendid APEC meeting for the world," Xinhua reported.
What is APEC?
APEC was set up in 1989 by 12 Asia-Pacific economies meeting in Canberra, APEC says. It grew to 21 members by 1998, including the United States, China, Japan, Russia, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Korea and most of Southeast Asia. Leaders have met every year since 1993.
APEC refers to its members as "economies". They include Hong Kong, China, and Chinese Taipei, which joined alongside China in 1991. According to APEC, it works through voluntary cooperation and consensus, and its decisions are non-binding, so leaders' declarations matter more as signals than as rules.
China has hosted twice before. Leaders met in Shanghai in 2001 and in Beijing in 2014, when they endorsed a roadmap towards a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), according to APEC's list of past hosts.
What is on the APEC 2026 agenda?
China's theme for the year is "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together," with three priorities, APEC announced in December 2025:
- Openness: supporting rules-based trade, resilient supply chains and connectivity. APEC notes that 2026 marks 20 years of work on the FTAAP idea.
- Innovation: cooperation on AI and other new technologies, digital public services and compatible standards.
- Cooperation: joint work on food security, energy, small businesses, transport, tourism and public health.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called for a "substantive outcome document" from Shenzhen, CGTN reported, with progress on trade and investment, connectivity, the digital economy and inclusive development. Chinese officials have described a planned Shenzhen Declaration as a roadmap towards an Asia-Pacific community.
The CEO Summit, run by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, expects about 1,000 political and business figures, the Shenzhen government said. Topics include free trade, AI, the digital economy and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to Xinhua.
Who is expected to attend?
APEC does not publish a confirmed list of leaders in advance, and attendance can change. As of October 27, 2026, here is what has been reported:
- Xi Jinping will chair the meeting as host.
- Donald Trump: statements released by the US and China on September 26 confirmed that he intends to travel to Shenzhen, the South China Morning Post reported. It would be his third meeting with Xi this year, after a state visit to Beijing in May and Xi's state visit to Washington in September.
- Vladimir Putin: the Kremlin has said a meeting of Putin, Trump and Xi in China has been mentioned, but that there is no agreement or agenda, Euronews reported. Russia is an APEC member.
- Lee Jae-myung: South Korea's president is expected to attend and may meet Xi, UPI reported, citing the South Korean outlet Asia Today.
The possible three-way meeting
Each side has set out a different position. Trump said on October 19 that he would be open to meeting Putin and Xi in China, mainly "to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearisation," Euronews reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no substantive proposals had been agreed. China's foreign ministry said it had no information. Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, objected to any meeting about the war that excludes Kyiv.
UPI also reported speculation that Trump could try to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the same trip. Trump said on October 12 that it was "possible." No such meeting has been announced, and North Korea is not an APEC member.
Why APEC 2026 matters
APEC's 21 economies include the world's two largest, the US and China, so the summit is one of the few regular places where their leaders meet alongside allies and neighbours. Trade will be a central topic. The US and China have extended a trade truce through January 2027, according to UPI, and both sides have proposed tariff relief on about $30 billion of trade in each direction, SCMP reported.
Hosting also gives China more control of the agenda. Experts quoted by SCMP said Beijing would have far more say over topics and choreography in Shenzhen than it did at the Washington summit in September. For a city that is home to Huawei, BYD and Tencent, the summit is also a showcase for Chinese technology, a theme that also runs through the Web Summit tech conference in Lisbon the week before.
November is crowded for global diplomacy. The UN's COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Türkiye, is due to close on November 20, the day after APEC ends, and Trump and Xi are expected to meet again at the G20 in Miami in December, SCMP reported.
How to follow it
- Official updates: the APEC website and China's APEC 2026 site publish meeting statements and declarations.
- Chinese foreign ministry: its regular press briefings in Beijing are a likely place for confirmation of visiting leaders and bilateral meetings.
- Time zones: Shenzhen is 8 hours ahead of UTC. Morning sessions there take place overnight for the Americas and in the early morning for Europe.
What to watch for
- Confirmed attendance, especially Trump, Putin and other leaders, and any changes at short notice
- Whether leaders agree a joint declaration, which needs consensus among all 21 economies
- Any Trump-Xi agreement on trade or tariffs, and whether a Putin-Trump-Xi meeting happens
- Commitments on AI, the digital economy and the FTAAP
Our take
Based on the sources above, Shenzhen is likely to be judged on two levels. Officially, the test is whether China can secure a consensus declaration on its "Asia-Pacific community" theme. Unofficially, attention will centre on the meetings on the sidelines, above all between Trump and Xi, and on whether talk of a three-way meeting with Putin turns into anything concrete.
Frequently asked questions
When and where is APEC 2026?
The APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting is in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China, on November 18-19, 2026. The CEO Summit runs on November 17-18 and senior officials meet on November 14-15. Shenzhen is on China Standard Time (UTC+8).
What is the theme of APEC 2026?
China chose "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together," with three priorities: openness, innovation and cooperation. Members approved the theme at a senior officials' meeting in Shenzhen in December 2025.
Will Trump attend APEC 2026 in China?
Statements released by the US and China on September 26, 2026, said Trump intends to travel to Shenzhen, the South China Morning Post reported. Attendance is not final until the summit, and plans can change.
Will Putin, Trump and Xi meet at APEC?
Not confirmed. The Kremlin says the idea has been mentioned but nothing is agreed, Trump says he is open to it, China says it has no information, and Ukraine objects to talks about the war without Kyiv.
How many times has China hosted APEC?
Three times, including 2026. China hosted APEC leaders in Shanghai in 2001 and in Beijing in 2014, according to APEC.
Sources
- Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (homepage, upcoming events), APEC
- China Unveils APEC 2026 Theme and Priorities in Shenzhen, APEC
- About us, APEC
- Host economy, APEC
- How APEC operates, APEC
- APEC China 2026 official website, APEC China 2026
- President Xi Jinping Announces that China will Host the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC
- APEC CEO Summit 2026 to be held in Shenzhen from Nov. 17 to 18, Shenzhen Government Online (via Xinhua)
- One month to go: APEC CEO Summit 2026 to help promote cooperation, prosperity, Xinhua
- China's Shenzhen to present splendid 2026 APEC meeting: FM spokesperson, Xinhua
- APEC 2026: 30 days to go until Shenzhen hosts world leaders, CGTN
- 3 top reasons Trump will face a stronger Xi Jinping at November Apec forum in China, South China Morning Post
- Trump says he is open to three-way summit with Putin and Xi in China, Euronews
- China APEC summit raises prospects for Trump-Kim talks, UPI
How we wrote this
GessyMorgan explainers are built from public reporting and official sources. This post draws on the 14 sources listed above, each linked where we use it. It was drafted with AI assistance and checked against those sources before publishing. We did not test products, attend events or interview anyone for this article. Facts are current as of October 27, 2026, and we update the post when they change.
