APEC ministers to meet in Guangzhou on SMEs cooperation

The 32nd APEC Small and Medium Enterprises Ministerial Meeting will take place on Sept 4 in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said at a news briefing on Monday.

Under the theme "Innovation-Driven Development for Win-Win Cooperation," the meeting will bring together SME officials from APEC economies, representatives of the APEC Secretariat, and other distinguished guests to explore collaborative pathways for promoting SME development across the region.

Vice-Minister Ke Jixin said SMEs represent the largest and most dynamic business sector in the Asia-Pacific, playing a vital role in driving innovation, boosting employment, and improving livelihoods.

According to him, the meeting will focus on technological innovation, digital empowerment, and inclusive development, with a joint ministerial statement and other outcome documents expected to be delivered. China will leverage the APEC SME Week and accompanying events to facilitate technology, project, and market matchmaking among SMEs from all economies.

Liang Zhifeng, director of the SME bureau at the ministry, elaborated on China's efforts to promote high-quality development of SMEs in the region. He said the ministerial meeting will help forge new consensus by prioritizing innovation, digital empowerment, and inclusive growth, and will work toward a joint statement that translates shared concerns into concrete action plans for future cooperation.

He also stressed the importance of strengthening long‑term cooperation mechanisms, particularly in AI empowerment for SMEs. China will support policy research, case studies, capacity building, and supply‑demand matchmaking, while encouraging closer ties among governments, enterprises, research institutes, and service agencies.

"By integrating resources and expertise, we aim to build a multi‑stakeholder cooperation network that enables more SMEs to participate and benefit," Liang added.