APEC Summit Concludes with Focus on AI Governance, demographic Shifts
BUSAN,โ South Korea – The Asia-Pacific Economicโ Cooperation (APEC) summit concluded Saturday in โขSouth Korea โฃwith leaders โขaddressing emerging challenges including artificial intelligence (AI) governance and โคrapidly โขchanging demographics, alongside traditional โtrade andโ investment priorities. โคWhile Friday’s โdiscussions centered on bolstering economic ties, Saturday’s agenda highlighted the need forโฃ regional cooperationโ in navigating the complexitiesโฃ of AI development, aging populations, โฃand evolving cultural landscapes.
The summit saw Chinese President Xi Jinping propose the creation of a new international body,the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Association,advocating โคfor the “sound and orderly development” of AI with consideration for global well-being. This proposal comes as APEC leaders issued a joint โขstatement callingโข for a coordinated approach to AI,recognizing itsโ potentialโค as an economic driver while acknowledging associated challenges.
Established in 1989,APEC champions free and open trade andโฃ investment to โฃpromote regional economic integration. โคHowever, theโ organization now faces a complex โenvironment shaped by the U.S.-China rivalry, supply chainโค disruptions, and demographic shifts. Xi โalso signaled China’s commitment toโ global free tradeโฃ and โคsupply โchain stability,โข positioning the โcountry as an choice โขto protectionist policies, and โขstating that “investing in Chinaโ is investing in the future.”
Notably, U.S. President Donald Trump departed South Korea shortly after a meeting with Xi, allowing the Chinese president โคto take โฃcenter stage at the summit. The U.S. โฃhas previously distanced โitself from efforts to regulate AI and is considered unlikely to join the proposedโ global AI organization. A separateโ APEC statement urged collaborativeโค efforts to address declining birth rates, aging populations, and increasing urbanization across the region.