Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation members adopted a regional framework in Chengdu to expand practical and inclusive use of artificial intelligence. More than 500 representatives attended Digital Week events from July 16 to 29, including the July 23 Digital and AI Ministerial Meeting.
The 2026 Chengdu Statement asks economies to promote digital and AI transformation in manufacturing, agriculture and services. It also calls for affordable, easy-to-deploy tools that can help micro, small and medium-sized enterprises move from experimentation to changes in their operating processes.
The initiative covers a region of 21 economies, 3 billion people and 61.6 percent of global real GDP in 2025. APEC members span much of the AI value chain, including model development, semiconductor production and advanced manufacturing, but differ widely in technical and institutional capacity.
Regional examples showed how cross-border systems can reduce those gaps. The ASEAN Foundation's AI Class ASEAN platform uses the SEA-LION family of open models, including a flagship model built on Alibaba's Qwen, to serve languages and cultural contexts that large global systems often handle poorly.
Governments and companies presented sector applications alongside policy commitments. Singapore has developed industry-specific playbooks for smaller firms, Microsoft is applying AI to satellite, acoustic and ecological data, and Chinese-made augmented-reality glasses used in Chengdu support real-time translation in 261 languages.
China reported more than 6,200 domestic AI companies by the end of 2025. More than 30 percent of manufacturers with annual main business revenue of at least 20 million yuan, about $2.94 million, had adopted AI, showing how the regional agenda connects policy coordination with industrial deployment.
Beijing committed 5,000 AI training and seminar opportunities for developing countries over the next five years. It also announced a center in Qianhai, Shenzhen, intended to support APEC cooperation on cross-border data through policy research, regulatory alignment and services for businesses.
A separate forum statement called for secure development and deployment, responsible adoption, innovation-friendly conditions and continued policy dialogue on access. The Chengdu meetings therefore tied wider AI use to standards, risk monitoring and emergency response, making cooperation on trust and governance central to the region's technology strategy.
