This photo taken on Nov. 14, 2026 shows a press briefing at the media center for the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Week in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)
SHENZHEN, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Preparations for the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen, south China, are ready, local officials said at a press briefing on Saturday.
The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, on Nov. 18 and 19, Wang Xi, deputy head of the provincial preparatory leading group, told the briefing.
Wang said organizers had incorporated green practices, traditional Chinese and local Lingnan culture, and digital technologies into venue preparations and services. During the meeting week, Guangdong will offer 218 visitor sites and 43 routes, including two representative ones in Shenzhen.
Organizers have upgraded key venues and conducted comprehensive rehearsals, and have arranged reception, accommodation, catering, transport, medical care and interpretation, as well as measures for communications, weather, public security, public health and city operations, Wang said.
Shenzhen Mayor Li Yun said all venues and facilities were ready. The city has strengthened transport, power, communications and hotel services while minimizing inconvenience to residents' daily lives.
The city has also introduced measures to make travel and daily transactions easier for visiting delegates. Dedicated channels for meeting representatives will be available at nine sea, land, air and rail ports. More than 100,000 foreign-language signs have been standardized, and over 7,000 AI translation devices have been installed at key locations. Taxis will provide bilingual announcements.
More than 3,000 ATMs support cash withdrawal for foreign bank cards, while over 1,600 bank branches offer currency exchange. Shenzhen's metro fare gates will accept contactless payments with overseas bank cards. The city has also expanded its departure tax-refund program to 3,160 stores, including more than 1,000 offering instant refunds.
Data released at the briefing also showed that Shenzhen has become the first city in the Chinese mainland to record more than 5 trillion yuan (about 744.6 billion U.S. dollars) in foreign trade.
Shenzhen Customs said the city's imports and exports totaled 5.25 trillion yuan in the first 10 months of this year, up 40.9 percent year on year. Exports rose 19.7 percent to 2.71 trillion yuan, while imports surged 73.7 percent to 2.54 trillion yuan. ■
This photo taken on Nov. 14, 2026 shows a press briefing at the media center for the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Week in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)
This photo taken on Nov. 14, 2026 shows a press briefing at the media center for the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Week in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)
This photo taken on Nov. 14, 2026 shows a press briefing at the media center for the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Week in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)
This photo taken on Nov. 14, 2026 shows a press briefing at the media center for the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Week in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)
