How Apec’s evolving agenda supports India’s Indo-Pacific outlook

The 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders’ Meeting was hosted in Gyeongju, South Korea. Leaders of 21 economies participated, though US President Donald Trump left before the summit, and Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend.

A major thrust of the summit was an emphasis on accelerating digital transformation (including artificial intelligence), innovation, and green/low-carbon growth in the Asia-Pacific region. The member economies stressed public–private cooperation, mobilising business and government to jointly pursue digital upgrades, resilient supply chains, and a green transition.

The Chinese delegation, in particular, spotlighted its high-tech industries and green transition as central to the region’s growth story, projecting China as a defender of the international economic order.

Despite the headwinds of protectionism, the summit reaffirmed the importance of open trade and investment flows and the aspiration for deeper economic integration across the Asia-Pacific. President Xi Jinping advanced a five-point proposal for building an Asia-Pacific community and emphasised safeguarding the multilateral trading system. The meeting also underlined connectivity, innovation, and inclusive growth as its core thematic pillars.

The summit’s Economic Leaders’ Week featured extensive participation from business leaders through forums, CEO summits, and networking sessions. Nearly 2,000 regional business leaders took part in dialogues that complemented government deliberations, focusing on workforce development, supply-chain resilience, digital/AI industries, and green transition.

This strong business-sector engagement highlighted that APEC is not just a diplomatic forum but increasingly a platform for actionable partnerships between government and industry.

South Korea used the summit to promote a modern agenda, emphasising new quality productive forces, innovation-driven economies, and regional cooperation in emerging fields such as AI, robotics, and renewable energy—moving beyond traditional trade liberalisation. China’s message that “investing in China means investing in the future” signalled that member economies would need to align with its innovation and green-economy parameters.

China also announced Shenzhen as the host city for Apec 2026, aiming to showcase how the region seeks to pivot towards higher-tech, innovation-driven growth.

Beyond the plenary sessions, a number of sideline meetings and informal engagements took place that were strategically significant. As the East Asia Summit (EAS) had just concluded, Xi Jinping’s presence at Apec—unlike at the EAS—drew the spotlight, especially after Trump’s brief visit and early departure, which left the field clear for China.

The meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping prior to the summit drew significant attention, focusing on trade and broader strategic issues. This was reportedly Trump’s main purpose in visiting Korea; apart from attending the CEO forum, he largely skipped the main Apec summit. Xi’s meetings with Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the South Korean host, and the Canadian Prime Minister were carefully crafted to portray China as a stabilising force amid disruptions caused by US policies.

These engagements matter because they shape the architecture of dialogue beyond Apec’s formal processes and influence the positioning of major powers.

One consequential sideline theme was resilience in regional supply chains, logistics and transport connectivity, and digital infrastructure. Business-leader sessions underscored how economies must cooperate on supply-chain risk mitigation and infrastructure investment, particularly in digital and green sectors.

A noticeable outcome was the increased attention to new themes: AI (“AI Plus”), digital economy, and creative and cultural industries—included for the first time in an Apec leaders’ statement. This reflects the evolution of Apec from a focus on trade liberalisation toward broader “economy of the future” issues.

Implications for India

For India, the outcomes of this Apec summit have meaningful implications, especially regarding its Indo-Pacific engagement, Act East Policy, and broader strategic posture.

Although India is not an Apec member, its interest in engaging with the forum is well known. Analysts point out that membership or deeper engagement could boost India’s export potential, integrate it more deeply into Asia-Pacific supply chains, and support its domestic reforms.

The summit’s renewed focus on digital economy, innovation, and connectivity presents an opportunity to align India’s “Make in India”, “Digital India”, and “Green India” initiatives with regional agendas. For instance, India’s efforts in renewable energy and digital infrastructure can complement Apec economies’ interest in innovation and supply-chain diversification, potentially using the EAS as a bridge.

From a strategic perspective, the Apec summit reinforces the Asia-Pacific’s centrality to global growth and governance. For India—a key Indo-Pacific power—this underscores the need to engage economically and diplomatically in the region rather than remain on the periphery.

India’s Indo-Pacific policy emphasises a free, open, and inclusive region, with respect for sovereignty and a rules-based order. The Apec themes of connectivity, innovation, and inclusive growth dovetail with this vision. Therefore, India can leverage Apec outcomes to strengthen its role in regional economic architecture by partnering with the member economies.

India has consistently highlighted supply-chain resilience (especially reducing dependence on China) in its own strategy. The Apec summit’s focus on resilient supply chains and connectivity offers fertile ground for India to collaborate with economies seeking diversification away from China-centric value chains—although China’s stance that such decoupling is “unlikely” was clear.

This could open opportunities for cooperation in manufacturing, digital infrastructure, logistics, and green technology for countries seeking alternatives.

However, India faces challenges. Its non-membership in Apec—due to geographic criteria, trade-liberalisation concerns, and a moratorium on new members—means it cannot benefit from all its mechanisms. Moreover, aligning India’s domestic reform pace, trade liberalisation, and regulatory frameworks with Apec’s standards will require sustained effort.

As India’s economy grows and its ambitions expand, it must continue reforms and pursue outward-oriented policies to fully benefit from regional processes.

India may consider:

• Enhancing connectivity (physical and digital) with Asia-Pacific economies—particularly Southeast Asia and Pacific Island nations—in line with Apec’s connectivity agenda.

• Expanding its tech and green economy footprint, leveraging its strengths in digital payments, renewable energy, and services, to align with Apec’s innovation and green economy themes.

• Deepening bilateral and multilateral trade and investment linkages with Apec members, especially those pursuing supply-chain diversification.

• Engaging more actively with business and industry forums associated with Apec-style settings, ensuring Indian industry and government participate proactively to shape outcomes and gain from regional networks.

Conclusion

The outcomes of Apec 2025 reinforce the narrative India seeks to project: that the Indo-Pacific is not merely a security or maritime concept, but also an economic, digital, and green transformation domain. By linking its Indo-Pacific policy more explicitly with Apec’s economic and regional integration agenda, India can strengthen the economic dimension of its Indo-Pacific vision.

India’s Security and Growth for All in the Region (Sagar) and Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) could benefit from aligning with the connectivity and innovation imperatives discussed at Apec. Although Apec is an Asia-Pacific rather than Indo-Pacific forum, the overlap of issues—digital economy, maritime connectivity, and green growth—offers India strategic value.

In sum, while the Apec summit was not India-centric, its outcomes offer tangible opportunities for India—if it acts proactively. For India’s Indo-Pacific policy, the message is clear: economic engagement, connectivity, innovation, and regional integration must go hand in hand with strategic and maritime initiatives.

The Apec summit achieved substantive outcomes—emphasis on digital and green economy transformation, reaffirmation of open trade and investment, stronger business–government cooperation, and forward-looking mechanisms.

For India, these developments underscore the need to engage the Asia-Pacific economically, technologically, and infrastructurally, not just strategically. If India can leverage these opportunities while advancing domestic reform and outward linkages, its Indo-Pacific vision will be significantly strengthened.

Ultimately, Apec’s evolving agenda supports a broader Indo-Pacific outlook—one where economics, digitalisation, green transition, and connectivity complement security and maritime dimensions—an approach well aligned with India’s strategic perspective.

The writer is a former ambassador to Germany, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Asean, and the African Union, and the author of ‘The Mango Flavour: India & Asean After 10 Years of the AEP’. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Firstpost.