APEC ministers issue the 2026 Chengdu Digital and AI Statement

GovernmentAI policyAsia-Pacific

Published: 23 July 2026. APEC digital and ICT ministers endorsed a statement under the theme “Digital Technologies and AI for the Empowerment of an Asia-Pacific Community”, linked to the APEC AI Initiative 2026–2030 and the Internet and Digital Economy Roadmap.

Why it matters: It supplies a common regional policy direction around access, cooperation, digital infrastructure, trust and capacity-building without creating binding law. Impact: Cross-border operators should track how individual economies translate the statement into procurement, data, safety and interoperability rules. Official APEC statement