By Sharon Hu, 21st Century Business Herald, SFC 

"It's a pleasure to see at today's meeting that all APEC economies have identified AI as a core priority in APEC's various programs and development agendas, and China will continue to advance this process, "said Kelly Forbes, President and Executive Director of the AI Asia Pacific Institute, in an interview with the SFC on the sidelines of the first APEC Senior Officials' Meeting in Guangzhou on Sunday.

Artificial intelligence, a core technology, will grow in importance and its development is pivotal to the future of most economies, she said.

In the interview, Forbes fully recognized China's achievements in artificial intelligence development. She noted that China is playing an increasingly prominent leading role in fostering greater cooperation with other economies, adding, "We also discussed at the meeting how all parties can collaborate to ensure AI benefits all economies and mitigate potential risks arising from technological development."

Guangzhou is hosting the first APEC Senior Officials' Meeting and related events from February 1st to 10th. Centered on the 2026 APEC theme "Building an Asia-Pacific Community for Common Prosperity" and three priority areas – Openness, Innovation and Cooperation – the meeting has fully launched cooperation across all sectors and mechanisms, delved into specific collaborative initiatives, and laid the groundwork for the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November.

According to the organizers, over 70 side events will be held concurrently during the meeting, with more than 1,000 delegates expected to attend, representing all APEC member economies, the APEC Secretariat, the APEC Business Advisory Council and other institutions.