(Yicai) July 6 -- Shenzhen will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Tech for Good Workshop from July 8 to July 10, bringing together policymakers, researchers, business leaders, and international organization representatives from 17 Asia-Pacific economies to explore how technology can better serve humanity.

The workshop, officially approved by APEC as project PPSTI 110-2025A, is one of the flagship events of China's APEC Year in 2026, when the country is hosting the regional forum. Participants will discuss responsible technology development and digital governance, with the event expected to produce policy recommendations and release a set of model cases and action guidelines.

Established in 1989, APEC is a regional forum that brings together 21 member economies to promote economic cooperation, trade, and shared prosperity across the Asia-Pacific. Hosting APEC in 2026 gives China an opportunity to help shape regional discussions on issues ranging from trade and innovation to digital governance and sustainable development.

The workshop will feature 12 keynote speeches and six parallel forums covering topics including balancing commercial interests with social good, the boundaries between algorithms and rights protection, ethical oversight and innovation, accessibility in technology design, the Global South's role in setting technology standards, and gender equality in the technology sector.

In addition to panel discussions, the workshop will release the APEC Tech for Good: Model Cases and Action Guidelines and organize site visits aimed at promoting practical recommendations for digital governance across the Asia-Pacific region. As a key technology cooperation project under China's APEC Year, the workshop's outcomes are expected to contribute Asia-Pacific perspectives to building an inclusive, trustworthy, and sustainable digital future.

Featured speakers include Dafna Feinholz, chief of the bioethics and ethics of science and technology section at the UNESCO; Pichamon Yeophantong, a regional member of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights; Akhmad Bayhaqi, senior analyst at APEC's Policy Support Unit; Kommate Jitvanichphaibool, deputy director of the APEC Center for Technology Foresight; and Soledad Quiroz Valenzuela, vice president for policy of the International Network for Governmental Science Advice.

Experts from leading universities, including Monash University in Australia, Kyoto University in Japan, and the University of Auckland in New Zealand, will also participate.

According to the organizers, attendees will represent 17 Asia-Pacific economies, including Australia, Canada, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore.

Editor: Emmi Laine