China calls for APEC cooperation as commerce minister skips opening over ‘urgent official business’

Key points

• China International Trade Representative Li Chenggang chairs the opening of the APEC trade ministers' meeting in Suzhou, China, on May 22, 2026. SUZHOU, China — Li Chenggang, China's international trade representative, opened the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade ministers' meeting on Friday with a call for regional economies to "send a strong message to the world" in support of cooperation.
• Li said he was chairing the opening meeting in place of China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, who had "urgent official business," according to a CNBC translation of his remarks in Chinese.
• The trade representative role is a full minister rank.
• Li also serves as China's vice commerce minister.
• The APEC trade ministers' meeting, set to conclude Saturday, comes about a week after U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Beijing.