APEC’s 2026 logistics agenda: a supply chain review, a paperless trade push and voluntary pledges. Hong Kong’s e-document bill is still pending

When APEC trade ministers met in Suzhou in May, they said it was in their “mutual interest that our region remains interconnected and trade corridors remain open.” With leaders due in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19, two pieces of work stand out on the logistics side of China’s APEC year: a final review of the forum’s supply chain action plan and a young center for paperless trade. Neither obliges any member economy to change how its ports, customs or courts work.

What ministers signed up to

In the Suzhou Statement, issued when the meeting closed on May 23, ministers welcomed the contributions of the third phase of APEC’s Supply Chain Connectivity Framework Action Plan, which covers 2022 to 2026, “especially in promoting digital transformation of trade procedures and transition towards paperless trade.” They instructed officials “to complete the final review of SCFAP III by November this year.” They also reaffirmed support for cross-border recognition of electronic trade documents, “including the electronic bills of lading and electronic invoices.”

The verbs matter. On the legal plumbing that would let an electronic bill of lading carry title to cargo, ministers “encourage APEC economies to work towards aligning our legal frameworks” with the principles of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records, “noting the different levels of readiness and capacity.” On trade-related AI standards, they welcomed “voluntary experience sharing.” On e-commerce, they backed APEC’s Non-Binding Guidelines for Customs and Cross-Border E-Commerce. Transport ministers meeting in Beijing on September 22 used the same register: their joint statement encourages faster digital transformation of transport infrastructure but sets no targets or deadlines. APEC itself says it operates on the basis of non-binding commitments.

What has been delivered so far

The clearest scorecard is APEC’s own mid-term review of the action plan, published in November 2024. It found progress on four of the plan’s five chokepoints, with most indicators improving, while results for the fifth, targeted support for small businesses, were mixed. The final review is due by November.

The paperless trade effort is earlier still. The APEC Centre of Excellence for Paperless Trade, endorsed in 2025 and run with the APEC Business Advisory Council, has its secretariat at the Singapore Business Federation and is starting with four documents: electronic bills of lading, certificates of origin, invoices and customs bonds. An APEC release on a dialogue the center held in Dalian said ocean carriers issue around 45 million bills of lading a year, with about 95 percent still not electronic. The release says a key part of the center’s work is pilot programs that test electronic trade documents in real transactions.

Where Hong Kong stands

Hong Kong officials attended both meetings. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan told transport ministers that Hong Kong “fully supports and endorses” their statement and pointed to the Port Community System launched in January. In his September 16 Policy Address, Chief Executive John Lee said more than 8,000 enterprises had registered with the system and that its cargo data had supported more than 20 successful trade finance applications. Those figures are the government’s own. In Suzhou, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau cited the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s Project CargoX, covered by TockHK.

On the legal piece APEC is encouraging, Hong Kong trails the Mainland. The government consulted on amending the Electronic Transactions Ordinance along the lines of the model law from December 29, 2025, to March 27, 2026, and the Policy Address promises a bill on business-to-business trade documents “within this year.” In a written reply to lawmakers in April, the government said the Mainland had amended its Maritime Code in October 2025 to give electronic bills of lading a legal basis, effective May 2026, and that cross-boundary acceptance could be enhanced once Hong Kong completes its own amendments.

What to watch

APEC finance ministers meet in Hong Kong on October 20 and 21, RTHK reported after Chief Executive John Lee spoke on October 6. Leaders then gather in Shenzhen, Xinhua reported. Still unconfirmed: whether the final review will be published before leaders meet, whether APEC will adopt a successor supply chain plan, and when Hong Kong’s bill will be gazetted. For shippers and forwarders, the practical test is the bill: APEC can encourage electronic bills of lading, but only domestic law gives them the standing of paper.