Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, 27 October
2025
Issued by the APEC Concluding Senior
Officials Meeting
Gyeongju sets the stage as
senior officials kick off the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week
on Monday, solidifying their commitment to a sustainable
future, one that remains interconnected, embraces digital
innovation and ensure the benefits of growth are broadly
shared.
“Under this year’s theme, ‘Building a
Sustainable Tomorrow: Connect, Innovate, Prosper’ we have
advanced meaningful discussions and made concrete progress
across various initiatives, advancing APEC’s vision of an
open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific
community,” said Ambassador Yoon Seong-mee, Chair of the
2025 APEC Senior Officials Meeting.
The Concluding
Senior Officials’ Meeting marks the final push before
leaders and ministers arrive later this week. Against a
backdrop of heightened uncertainty, economies are seeking
common ground on global issues that could shape the
region’s future growth and cooperation.
Throughout
the year, officials have steered practical cooperation
across APEC’s agenda, including efforts to expand
paperless trade and digital cooperation, advancing readiness
for a high standard and comprehensive free trade agreement,
shape regional approaches to artificial intelligence,
accelerating public health and boosting services
competitiveness.
“Now, as we enter the season of
harvest, we face the important task of concluding the
discussions of APEC 2025 and preparing to translate them
into tangible outcomes,” Ambassador Yoon said.
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Under
the “Connect” priorities, officials are focusing on
efforts to deepen regional integration, including enhancing
trade facilitation and reducing barrier to trade. Senior
officials are deliberating on the new APEC Roadmap for
Innovative, Competitive and Resilient Services, which seeks
to strengthen regulatory readiness and institutional
capacity across finance, digital platforms and creative
economy.
In the “Innovate” track, the meeting is
spotlighting efforts to advance digital cooperation and
ensure that the benefits of innovation are widely shared.
Korea’s proposed APEC AI Initiative and progress under the
APEC
Internet and Digital Economy Roadmap (AIDER) were
highlighted as key efforts to build inclusive,
innovation-driven growth.
The “Prosper” priority
is drawing attention to structural and social resilience.
Discussions focused on demographic change, food and energy
security, and social protection policies to ensure long-term
wellbeing in the face of climate and geopolitical risks.
Korea’s proposed Collaborative Framework on Demographic
Change was also acknowledged as a forward-looking
contribution.
“This week’s discussions show how
APEC remains a vital incubator of ideas, where economies can
build understanding, share solutions and find common ground
even when global challenges loom large,” said Eduardo
Pedrosa, Executive Director of the APEC
Secretariat.
“As we move toward Leaders’ Week, the
progress we’re seeing on regional integration, digital
transformation and long-term resilience is encouraging.
Korea’s priorities, especially around artificial
intelligence and demographic change, are helping APEC remain
focused, future-oriented and grounded in cooperation,”
Pedrosa added.
Over the two-day meeting, senior
officials are finalizing recommendations to ministers on
APEC’s committee annual reports, the next APEC Economic
Policy Report topic, outcomes from the Structural
Reform Ministerial Meeting in Incheon, and the newly
endorsed finance roadmap, the Incheon
Plan.
APEC leaders and ministers will convene
later this week to take forward the outcomes from senior
officials’ technical discussion and set the region’s
strategic direction for the year
ahead.
