APEC Sets Voluntary AI and Digital Security Agenda in Chengdu
APEC digital and artificial-intelligence ministers adopted the Chengdu Statement on July 23, 2026, placing secure AI development, resilient digital infrastructure and online safety within the same regional cooperation agenda.
The statement is broad but deliberately non-binding. It does not create a treaty, common AI law, regional enforcement body or compliance deadline. Instead, it encourages APEC’s 21 member economies to exchange practices, build capacity and support cooperation while retaining their different national approaches to digital and AI policy.
Connectivity is treated as an economic issue
The Chengdu Statement calls for secure, reliable, affordable and resilient connectivity, with particular attention to underserved, rural and remote areas. It encourages cooperation with stakeholders, including the private sector, to develop trusted communications infrastructure and support next-generation connectivity.
The statement also encourages investment in digital connectivity infrastructure through information exchange and capacity building. It links that work to the flow of data and to consumer and business trust in digital transactions.
For smaller businesses, the practical promise is access to more affordable and easier-to-deploy digital products, shared technical knowledge and possible future capacity-building efforts. The statement does not commit APEC economies to a specific funding package or infrastructure project.
AI adoption comes with skills and trust concerns
APEC ministers encouraged responsible digital and AI transformation in manufacturing, agriculture and services. They also emphasized digital literacy, AI education, vocational training, public awareness and policymaker capacity building.
The approach reflects a recognition that adoption depends not only on software and computing capacity but also on whether workers, businesses, educators and public officials can understand and use the technology. The statement supports voluntary experience sharing, training, technical assistance and public education rather than imposing a common curriculum or certification system.
The ministers also acknowledged that APEC economies have different national approaches to digital and AI policy. That wording matters: the statement signals cooperation without claiming that members have harmonized their rules or agreed on a single definition of AI safety.
Cybersecurity, scams and child safety move into the same framework
The statement identifies data breaches, online scams and deliberate misuse of AI and other emerging technologies as risks to public trust and the digital economy. It encourages cooperation and information sharing on ICT security, data protection, supply-chain resilience, digital-infrastructure resilience and technical standards.
It also encourages voluntary exchanges involving governments, specialized organizations, businesses, civil society, technical experts and academia on anti-online-scam measures and child online protection. Consumers may therefore see more cross-border cooperation on awareness, information sharing and digital-safety practices over time. The ministerial statement itself does not create new consumer rights, remedies or regionwide rules.
APEC issued a separate High-Level Forum on AI statement on July 24. That document reinforced themes including secure AI infrastructure, cross-border data flows, AI literacy and trusted open-source projects. It was issued separately from the July 23 Chengdu Statement and should not be treated as a replacement for it.
Why the voluntary structure matters
APEC describes its work as voluntary, consensus-based and non-binding. Its officials, working groups and expert groups carry out practical cooperation through dialogue, research, information sharing and capacity-building initiatives.
That structure can make it easier for economies with different political systems, development levels and regulatory choices to cooperate. It also limits what the forum can require. APEC cannot, through this statement alone, compel uniform enforcement, punish non-compliance or guarantee that every proposed project will be funded.
The next test will be implementation: whether APEC working groups and member economies translate the broad language into voluntary reviews, technical guidance, training, investment support or national programs. APEC’s separate 2026-2030 AI Initiative already identifies voluntary readiness and impact reviews, policy exchange, capacity building and resilient infrastructure as possible areas of work, but those mechanisms are not automatic requirements created by the Chengdu Statement.
For now, the July 23 statement is best understood as a regional coordination platform—an agreement on areas of cooperation, not a common AI rulebook.
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