As the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen draws near, economies are steadily advancing regional economic and trade cooperation under the Putrajaya Vision 2040. As the most dynamic segment of the global economy, the Asia-Pacific faces both opportunities and challenges in regional integration, digital trade and artificial intelligence, and the green transition. To explore the practical bottlenecks and cooperation directions for current Asia-Pacific economic and trade development, our reporter interviewed Professor Song Wei from the School of International Relations, Beijing Foreign Studies University.
Advancing the development of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) is a long-standing shared goal pursued by APEC members. Due to the differing development stages of various economies, the coexistence of diverse regional economic and trade rule systems, plus the indirect impact of the geopolitical environment on industrial chain layout, the process of Asia-Pacific regional integration still faces phased challenges. In Song Wei's view, the key factors constraining the delivery and advancement of FTAAP are no longer traditional tariff barriers. Instead, they mainly stem from discrepancies in regional rule systems, divergent development interests and demands among parties, as well as the structural impacts exerted by the global economic security context on the traditional free trade order.
At present, multiple free trade systems coexist in the Asia-Pacific region. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and various bilateral free trade agreements operate in parallel. Different agreements adopt inconsistent standards with regard to market access, rules of origin, digital trade clauses and other provisions. While large enterprises can adapt to diverse rule frameworks, small and medium-sized enterprises are confronted with high compliance costs. Meanwhile, the logic governing the layout of regional industrial chains keeps evolving. Corporate decisions are no longer based merely on economic factors such as production costs, market scale and logistics efficiency. Factors including supply chain security, technology restrictions and export controls have become deeply involved, pushing up the overall operating costs across the region.
Disparities in the development stages of different economies have also led to divergences in openness priorities. Advanced economies pay closer attention to high-standard digital rules, intellectual property rights, labor and environmental provisions, whereas the vast majority of developing economies prioritize infrastructure development, industrial upgrading, livelihood security and employment. Such divergences in demands have added to the difficulties in advancing integration.
Song Wei holds that to implement the consensus on openness through the APEC mechanism, a pragmatic and progressive approach should be adopted, with rule compatibility, project demonstration and inclusive development set as key priorities. It is necessary to promote alignment and mutual recognition of various free trade rules, bridge gaps between them, launch pilot programs for small-scale digital initiatives such as customs data exchange, and roll out relevant practices gradually after accumulating experience. At the same time, full respect should be given to regional development gaps. Reasonable transition periods should be arranged for developing economies, accompanied by technical assistance and capacity-building support. As the APEC host in 2026, China focuses on three priority areas of openness, innovation and cooperation, offering important support for advancing regional rule compatibility and fostering the growth of developing economies.