BEIJING, Sept. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China.org.cn on Asia-Pacific community:

Combining a bionic eagle-claw gripper with a drone for disaster relief — that is the project Nathapol's team from Thailand took to the finals of the Lancang-Mekong Countries Science and Technology Innovation Competition.

They spent a year refining and testing it, again and again. Although his team did not ultimately win, when they sat down with other young people from the Lancang-Mekong countries for in-depth exchanges, Nathapol also got a close-up look at innovative projects from other countries, ranging from biomedicine and modern agriculture to information technology. These young people's ideas, nurtured by events like this, gradually grow into opportunities that could benefit people across the region.

Changes brought by technological progress are playing out in the everyday rhythm of the production line in the smart factory in Thailand. Through cooperation between Chinese and Thai companies, the factory is equipped with full 5G coverage; procedures that once required repeated manual inspection can now be handled by AI-powered visual inspection; and high temperature or the highly repetitive operations can be completed by robotic arms remotely controlled from a mobile phone. Here, technology isn't simply replacing people on the production line — it has reduced danger and repetitive work.

At Chancay Port in Peru, a member of APEC, such opportunities are reaching even further. A cargo ship sailing out of Chancay Port, loaded with local fresh fruit such as blueberries and avocados, can now reach Shanghai in just 23 days, about 10 days faster than before. For the farmers and exporters, a new port, a new route and shorter shipping times can translate into a larger market, bigger profits, and tangible improvements in their lives.

Inside the port, the changes are equally concrete. Automated quay cranes and yard cranes, self-driving container trucks, and digital twin technology have made Chancay Port's operations smarter. A new generation of young Peruvians who work at the port, in turn, are learning and honing skills for the "behind the screen era."

Similar changes are taking place in other countries in the Asia-Pacific.

In Naoero, at nine o'clock in the morning, workers harvest fresh lettuce in a container-based "vegetable factory" built with China's assistance; an hour and 20 minutes later, a local housewife drops a bag of the produce into her shopping cart. In Naoero, where fresh vegetables have long relied on air-freighted imports, China's soilless cultivation technology has ultimately taken shape as bags of freshly picked vegetables on kitchen tables, at more affordable prices.

From a young innovator and his project to a smart factory, a port and a shipping route, and to the application of technologies and their coexistence with people, such stories offer a glimpse into the ever-closer ties among Asia-Pacific countries.

In recent years, China has continued to widen market access, advance the development of pilot free trade zones, and further facilitate trade and investment through regional frameworks such as RCEP and the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0. Platforms such as the China International Import Expo, the China International Supply Chain Expo and the China International Consumer Products Expo have likewise opened up more opportunities for global business owners to bring their products to China and connect with potential partners.

China is hosting APEC 2026 under the theme "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together," with "openness," "innovation," and "cooperation" identified as the priorities. Ever-extending connections forged deeper links between markets and people's lives, enabling more development opportunities to thrive and be shared in this Asia-Pacific community.

China Mosaic
http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm
Sharing opportunities — A New Landscape of Asia-Pacific Development
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2026-09/04/content_118679249.shtml