Counter position: APEC participants were able to adopt the final declaration

A common response to global challenges, including energy, food security and environmental issues, as well as a collective response to the demographic crisis, were included in the final declaration of the APEC Forum summit. The adoption of the document can be called a success, given the current turbulence in the international arena. However, whether the region will be able to move from words to deeds is a big question. The split lines still seem too strong. Nevertheless, cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region can bring more benefits to everyone than confrontation. What is worth praising the host country for and where the next summits will be held — in the Izvestia article.

The Final Declaration of the APEC Summit

The APEC Forum summit in Gyeongchu, South Korea, has come to an end. The atmosphere at the venue was more relaxed and relaxed than in previous days, and the representatives of the delegations chatted cheerfully before the start of the final session. The head of the Russian delegation, Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, found himself in the company of his colleague from Papua New Guinea, John Rosso, who stood out with a stylish earring in his ear. The Deputy Prime Minister also exchanged a couple of remarks with the US representative.

Meanwhile, the new Japanese head of government, Sanae Takaichi, did not create the impression of an "iron lady," as she is sometimes called in the media. She had fun communicating with Chilean President Gabriel Boric, who for some reason ended up in Hong Kong for a while.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who took a place of honor at the table, also seemed to be in a good mood. Although relations between Beijing and Seoul are very difficult, he was seated next to South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who called in his welcoming speech for close cooperation in the region. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant looked thoughtful, perhaps reflecting in the presence of the Chinese leader on the future parameters of a trade deal with China. The countries are expected to sign it next week.

The main result was the adoption of the Kenchui Declaration. This fact can be considered a serious success, given the current disagreements of the meeting participants in many areas. The US trade wars, the Ukrainian crisis, and territorial disputes in the South China Sea did not become an obstacle to the adoption of the document.

It highlights that the Asia-Pacific region is at a turning point, and the global trading system continues to face significant challenges. The summit participants want to move towards building an "open, dynamic, viable and peaceful Asia-Pacific Community by 2040." Whether they succeed will largely depend on their ability to overcome political differences and security misunderstandings.

APEC itself is not legally considered an international organization with a rigid structure. That is why the decisions taken at forums often set the general vector of work, but are not binding, noted sinologist Nikolai Marchenko. In his opinion, some states are trying to add a political agenda to the decisions of the forum, while it focuses only on economic issues. However, this did not affect the final declaration in any way. Economic and social issues remained the leitmotif of the document.

In particular, APEC members intend to promote integration based on market principles, including through work on the creation of a free trade area in the Asia-Pacific region. The document focuses on joint efforts to combat corruption, as well as address the demographic crisis. The points about the decline in the birth rate and the aging of the population were not introduced by chance (there was no such direction in the last declaration) — this is one of the main problems for South Korea. But demographic difficulties also affect some other countries in the region, including, for example, Japan and Russia.

APEC emphasized the importance of artificial intelligence for the economic growth of the global economy. At the same time, the Russian side drew attention at the summit to the fact that about 118 economies of the Global South are excluded from international discussions on the modalities of AI governance. Meanwhile, China has proposed the creation of an international organization for artificial intelligence, an initiative that has been positively assessed by other participants. South Korea, in turn, proposes to set up an AI center in the Asia-Pacific region, which would help bridge gaps in this area between individual economies.

The heads of delegation pledged to step up cooperation and improve coordination to effectively respond to global challenges, including energy, food security, and environmental issues.

The Russian Foreign Ministry believes that the final document meets Russian interests and does not contain geopolitics.

As Alexey Overchuk noted, everyone now recognizes that globalization is changing in the context of a new technological order. And all players in the international arena need to adapt to the prevailing conditions. Doing this in coordination with regional neighbors is an effective and, most importantly, it seems to be the only right way.

— There is a need for new types of resources and this forces us to build new global production chains. Of course, everyone recognizes that globalization, which has been around until now and is now virtually ceasing to exist, was built around resources that were necessary for the past technological order," the head of the Russian delegation stressed after the summit.

Now other resources are needed, the so-called critical materials. Therefore, there will be a restructuring of the chains, new centers of economic growth will begin to appear, he added.

Russia is determined to strengthen relations with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. At a time when the European Union is moving away from Moscow and isolating the Russian Federation from the supply of its products, contacts with APEC participants, primarily Asian countries, are coming to the fore, said Georgy Ostapkovich, Research director at the HSE Center for Economic Research and Economic Development.

— We cannot create all the high technologies ourselves. Naturally, we need partners, and high-quality ones for a long period of time. It is the countries of the Asia-Pacific region that provide us with sufficient assistance in this regard," he said.

Instead of technology, Russia supplies the countries of the region with raw materials, ensuring a mutually beneficial economic exchange. In addition, the country has a developed energy industry, including the nuclear industry. APEC countries are often asked to help them in this area, the expert noted. But cooperation is possible not only on this track, the Russian authorities are actively investing in the development of AI and new technologies. The IT industry's contribution to Russia's GDP has doubled in five years.

Nevertheless, the heterogeneity of Russian economic relations with the states of the region remains a definite problem. The trade turnover with China amounts to a quarter of a trillion dollars, which is disproportionately higher than all others, added Dmitry Novikov, head of the HSE Laboratory of Political Geography and Modern Geopolitics.

Why has Gyeongju's perception changed

Despite the first negative impressions of Gyeongchu, it must be stated that the small town coped with hosting such a large-scale event. The arrival of American leader Donald Trump, who, however, did not stay until the end, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other delegations did not create a collapse. And road closures — sometimes even prolonged ones — are a necessary measure for the safety of high-ranking guests.

Gyeongchu, indeed, cannot be called an ideal venue for such meetings. Large megacities such as Seoul, Beijing or Tokyo are more suitable for this, where they have all the necessary infrastructure and have accumulated significant experience in hosting world—class events. However, the South Koreans were able to bribe the visitors with other things: their politeness, smiling nature and willingness to help in difficult situations.

The primary negative perception of Gyeongju is rather caused by high expectations from the Republic of Korea. When visiting, for example, Pakistan, the main task becomes to avoid trouble in the literal sense: not to become a victim of a terrorist attack and not to get poisoned. If these obstacles can be overcome, Islamabad no longer seems such a dangerous and unsuitable city to visit. When a person finds himself in the DPRK, he automatically expects to see images of the strict life of the locals, which he has so often read about in the Western media. After we see a different picture, Pyongyang ceases to be a scary point on the map that the entire "civilized world" should avoid.

Here, the situation is reversed: South Korea represents advanced technology, innovation, and the future. There is none of this in Gyeongchu, but in fact it should not be. This city is famous for other things — beautiful landscapes, historical temples and spacious parks. And for robots, noisy streets and advanced inventions of mankind, you need to go to Seoul and other major cities of our planet.

Gyeongchu may not evoke vivid feelings among visitors, but its visit once again reminds of the importance of open borders — traveling brings peoples closer together and provides an opportunity to look at other states not as opponents on the world stage, but as close neighbors. By the way, the issue of cultural exchanges was on the summit's agenda.

Representatives of the 21 economies will meet again next year, this time in China, followed by Vietnam (2027), Mexico (2028), Singapore (2030), Japan (2031), Chile (2032), Papua New Guinea (2033) and Peru (2034).