China to host record APEC Senior Officials' Meeting in Liaoning

China will host the third APEC Senior Officials' Meeting and related sessions in Talian, Liaoning Province, from August 17 to 28. According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Qiakhun, this iteration is the largest in the history of the APEC Senior Officials' Meeting in terms of both participants and scheduled events.

The conference is expected to include approximately 130 meetings, such as plenary sessions, subcommittee meetings, and working group sessions. Topics of discussion will span trade, transportation, grain, customs, technology, energy, health, disaster prevention, and anti-corruption. More than 2,300 delegates are anticipated to attend the meetings, which serve as preparation for the upcoming summit in November.

Separately, spokesperson Guo Qiakhun addressed recent statements from the United States regarding Huangyan Island. China maintains that Huangyan Island is part of its territory and that the establishment and management of a national-level natural conservation area there is a matter of Chinese sovereignty. China urged the United States to stop increasing tensions and provocations in the South China Sea and to cease using maritime issues to smear the country.