Is China’s Shenzhen ready to host Xi, Trump and Putin during Apec summit?

Shenzhen, China's southern tech hub, is preparing to host President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the APEC summit in November. The city has been undergoing extensive preparations under the watchful eyes of local, provincial, and national authorities. With Xi, Trump, and Putin all expected to attend, this year's event is considered especially high-stakes.

Guangdong Provincial Communist Party Chief Huang Kunming has inspected Shenzhen twice recently to ensure preparations are on track. "Shenzhen must maintain focus on details, optimize service guarantees, and ensure the conference is held safely, smoothly, and successfully," he said. While Shenzhen is less internationally known compared to Shanghai and Beijing, which hosted APEC summits in 2001 and 2014, respectively, analysts believe the city could benefit from the event in the long term.

Shenzhen's transformation from a fishing village to a modern international metropolis in just a few decades aligns with the summit's agenda of openness, innovation, and cooperation, according to Zhang Jingjia, an economist at the Apec Study Centre at Nankai University. When Beijing and Shanghai hosted APEC meetings, they focused on diplomacy and international finance, but Shenzhen's tech companies, manufacturing system, ports, and border crossings can demonstrate how the digital economy functions in real-world scenarios.

Hosting the inter-governmental meeting will test Shenzhen's organizational abilities, requiring proper venues, hotels, ports, railways, telecommunication networks, security, diplomatic coordination, multilingual services, volunteers, and community support. The city has prioritized security, imposing a strict no-fly zone and stepping up random checks of subway passengers. Special teams have been equipped to patrol the region, and residents are advised to take leave or work from home to reduce traffic during the summit.