Navigating China-US power play at Shenzhen Apec

What happened: Ahead of the Shenzhen Apec summit, Washington and Beijing are engaged in diplomatic and economic manoeuvring, per an SCMP series covering rare earths, export curbs, and new language defining ties. Key numbers: Updated 13 Oct 2026; reports dated 03, 08, 09, 10 and 13 Oct 2026; summit in November. Why it matters: The series reports US Treasury Secretary Bessent may skip Apec in Hong Kong to focus on Trump's Shenzhen trip, with a trade truce extension taking priority, and that some US CEOs are skipping the gathering.

Ahead of the Shenzhen Apec summit, Washington and Beijing are engaged in diplomatic and economic manoeuvring, per an SCMP series covering rare earths, export curbs, and new language defining ties.

The series reports US Treasury Secretary Bessent may skip Apec in Hong Kong to focus on Trump's Shenzhen trip, with a trade truce extension taking priority, and that some US CEOs are skipping the gathering.