"Most economies are just not ready to go alone without the support of a wider economic community," said Ang, adding that there are activities providing resilience to economic cooperation among APEC members.

　　He also said a recent cooperation formed by Shenzhen"s Yantian Port and other Asia-Pacific ports will enhance trade efficiency.

　　In July, Shenzhen"s Yantian Port, one of the world"s largest container terminals, signed a memorandum of understanding on sister port cooperation with 16 ports from 10 APEC member economies.

　　The 10 member economies are Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, South Korea, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.

　　Noting that Peru"s Chancay Port — a deep-water mega-port inaugurated in November 2024 as a flagship of the Belt and Road Initiative — serves as a trade hub between Latin America and China, Oscar Vidarte Arevalo, director and professor of international relations at the Department of Social Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, said the new cooperation can create more business opportunities and build a more direct connection with southern China.

　　"Despite the ideological differences between countries … there is a certain consensus in Latin America on the importance of continuing to build an order that promotes trade," said Vidarte, noting that such connectivity will also be important for developing Chancay Port, which is expected to begin phase-two construction next year.

　　With APEC trade accounting for about half of global trade, Vidarte said the upcoming APEC meeting in Shenzhen is important for the future of regional and global trade.

　　"APEC must work to ensure that the foundation of the liberal order, which took us many decades to build, survives," said Vidarte.