China to send 'strong' business delegation to APEC business summit in San Francisco: CCPIT official

China will organize a "strong business delegation" consisting of Chinese entrepreneurs to attend the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco in November, a Chinese trade agency under the Commerce Ministry announced on Tuesday.

Ren Hongbin, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade （CCPIT）will deliver a speech, expounding the position and proposition of China's business community on deepening cooperation of the supply chain in Asia-Pacific region, Zhang Xin, a spokesperson for the CCPIT said at a regular press conference in Beijing on Tuesday.

Zhang noted that the CCPIT has organized the largest business delegation of Chinese entrepreneurs to attend the Summit since 2000, and will continue to organize a strong delegation of Chinese entrepreneurs to attend the upcoming event in the US this year.

APEC is a forum of 21 Asia-Pacific economies. APEC's member economies are home to more than 2.9 billion people and make up over 60 per cent of the global GDP.

It's worth noting that, since the beginning of this year, the CCPIT has organized Chinese business leaders to actively articulate China's positions and concerns through platforms such as the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) regarding the theme of "fair, sustainable, and opportunities", the spokesperson said.

In important documents like the ABAC report to the APEC economic leaders, a collective voice from the Asia-Pacific business community has been delivered.

For instance, concerning fairness, there is a rising call for fair competition and the creation of a non-discriminatory business environment, as well as opposition to technology trade blockades. In terms of sustainability, there is a call to prevent administrative measures for addressing climate change from becoming tools of protectionism. Regarding opportunities, there is a call to strengthen regional economic integration, revive the multilateral trading system, and promote the accession of new members to the CPTPP, according to the spokesperson.

“We believe that these shared voices from the Asia-Pacific business community will be further amplified at the upcoming summit. We hope that APEC economies, especially the US which is hosting APEC, will pay attention to these calls and truly recognize that openness is the lifeline of Asia-Pacific economic cooperation,” Zhang said.

“This will create a non-discriminatory and fair environment for economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, aligned under the theme ‘Creating Economic Opportunities’ for this Business Summit,” the spokesperson noted.

The APEC Economic Leaders' Week will run from November 11 to 17. The APEC CEO Summit will be held from November 14 to 16.