Apex of Asia-Pacific cooperation

China and APEC have shaped each other's economic profile with Beijing's advocacy on opening up markets and increasing contribution

Since becoming a member of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in 1991, China has taken an active part in the organization's activities. China values its association with a multilateral economic organization, especially because the experience it had gathered as an APEC member in the 1990s helped it overcome some of the difficulties it faced while negotiating its entry into the World Trade Organization.

APEC abides by cooperative principles based on autonomy and negotiations, and promotes regional trade and investment through non-binding promises. Although it has failed to realize its Bogor Goal - that developed economies and developing economies fully open their markets to each other by 2010 and 2020 respectively - and faces strong competition from other multilateral cooperative organizations, APEC remains the most important economic cooperation and highest-level intergovernmental economic cooperation forum in the Asia-Pacific region.