SZ's people-centered innovation points the way for APEC: Pedrosa

Video by Liu Xudong

With his palm held flat and open, a gesture-controlled drone hovered steadily before landing gently on his hand. Observing this at the Shenzhen Bay Culture Square on May 5, Eduardo Pedrosa, executive director of the APEC Secretariat, let out an unscripted “Wow!”

A day later, onstage at the APEC China 2026 “Tech for People” Nanshan Day event, he joked about misplacing his glasses. “Please help me find a tracker for these,” he said, waving the frames at the crowd. A gesture-responsive drone and a simple wish for location-tagged eyewear serve as perfect micro-metaphors for his core belief: technology only holds value when it solves ordinary people’s real-life problems.

Eduardo Pedrosa (L), executive director of the APEC Secretariat, and Fernando Salas, director of Communications and Public Affairs of APEC Secretariat, observe a humanoid robot at a  tech exhibition on the fifth floor of Qianhai Block V in Qianhai on May 5. Qiu Weibin

Ahead of the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting slated for Shenzhen this November, Pedrosa made two working trips to the city to take part in a series of APEC-themed events. His packed schedule featured extensive site visits, hands-on technology showcases, a youth scholars forum, and the APEC Ministerial Meeting on Forestry, alongside exclusive interviews with Shenzhen Daily.

His cross-decade observations frame Shenzhen as an unparalleled window into China’s high-quality development, embodying a vision of technological innovation created for the people, embraced by the people, and beneficial to communities worldwide.

Interoperability over uniformity

Amid rising global protectionism and persistent cross-border digital divides, Pedrosa has repeatedly stressed a foundational viewpoint: economic expansion is merely a means, never the ultimate end of development. Meaningful innovation must prioritize expanding fair opportunities, lifting living standards, and advancing inclusive green growth for all population groups across the Asia-Pacific.

Eduardo Pedrosa (R), executive director of the APEC Secretariat, tries a pair of smart glasses at Inno100 in Nanshan District on May 6. Zhen Jianhong

He rejects mandatory, identical regulatory standards for every APEC member economy. Instead, he advocates interoperability — a framework where each economy keeps its own set of rules, while digital, industrial, and trade platforms operate seamlessly across borders.

“One of the things that APEC really looks at is not harmonization, but interoperability,” Pedrosa said. “To make sure our systems can work together.”

As a neutral multilateral platform, APEC creates consistent dialogue channels for governments to align innovation agendas. Shenzhen’s cross-border industrial synergy within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Pedrosa suggests, offers a tangible, replicable example of such win-win collaboration.

A city built on three connectivity pillars

More than 20 years of drastic urban transformation have left Pedrosa astonished. “Shenzhen is unrecognizable. Nothing I see today resembles the quiet town I first visited,” he commented. He also noted vastly improved cross-border links between Hong Kong and Shenzhen — direct ferries, multiple bridges, and integrated high-speed rail — as vivid proof of deepening regional integration.

Eduardo Pedrosa (R), executive director of the APEC Secretariat, (L) listens to an introduction to products during a visit to DJI Innovation in Nanshan District. Zhen Jianhong

APEC has long defined three core dimensions of connectivity: physical infrastructure links, institutional coordination, and people-to-people exchanges. Pedrosa’s May tour of Qianhai offered firsthand evidence that human connectivity may be the most vital of all.

Qianhai, officially the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone, is a national-level special zone designed to test cross-border opening and innovation policies.

At a tech exhibition on the fifth floor of Qianhai Block V, Pedrosa’s team donned AI simultaneous interpretation headsets and chatted freely with local guides. Immersive AI glasses and naked-eye 3D displays wowed the group. But it was the simplest gadgets that sparked the liveliest conversations.

The adjustable ergonomic office chairs proved an instant hit. Every team member took a seat to test them, prompting lighthearted banter. “This chair is far more comfortable than the one in my office,” Pedrosa laughed. Fernando Salas, the Secretariat’s communications director, chimed in: “It’s so cozy you can barely get any work done on it.” Later, as Pedrosa played with SenseTime’s AI Chinese chess robot, he tossed out a playful suggestion: “Maybe developers could build a mahjong robot next.”

Eduardo Pedrosa (C), executive director of the APEC Secretariat, poses for a photo at Shenzhen Bay Culture Square. Zhen Jianhong

These casual, unscripted moments captured Qianhai’s core innovation logic: cutting-edge technology should be intuitive, enjoyable, and embedded into ordinary life. Pedrosa expanded on this insight in his interview with Shenzhen Daily, breaking down APEC’s three-layer connectivity framework based on what he had witnessed in Qianhai.

“Physical connectivity refers to infrastructure, while institutional connectivity focuses on regulatory coordination,” Pedrosa explained. “But today’s visit drove home a clearer truth: human connectivity matters most. Engineers, designers, architects and all kinds of talented minds converge in this innovation hub to exchange ideas and spark inspiration. This flow of people is what generates lasting momentum for collaborative breakthroughs.”

What impressed Pedrosa most was Qianhai’s integrated innovation ecosystem, which gathers researchers, financial institutions and policy makers under one roof to turn laboratory breakthroughs into market-ready products that improve lives. 

Eduardo Pedrosa (R), executive director of the APEC Secretariat, talks to a Shenzhen Daily reporter during a visit to the city. Zhen Jianhong

“I’m blown away by how this whole system generates real, on-the-ground impact,” he said. 

Pedrosa also highlighted Shenzhen’s balanced urban development when discussing sustainability. “It’s fascinating to see skyscrapers rise alongside extensive greenery and protected mangroves,” he told Shenzhen Daily during the APEC Ministerial Meeting on Forestry in July. “Geospatial planning and zoning are crucial to ensure we urbanize without losing sustainability. Green spaces absorb heat and act as firebreaks.”

He added that the city’s tech-enabled ecological governance offers valuable lessons for all economies seeking to balance industrial growth and environmental protection.

APEC’s shifting agenda: innovation takes center stage

Pedrosa outlined a clear timeline tracking shifting priorities during China’s three turns hosting APEC meetings. The 2001 APEC meeting focused largely on trade and investment liberalization; the 2014 meeting expanded its agenda to boost cross-border connectivity. In 2026, as Shenzhen takes the helm, technological innovation and long-term sustainability are at the heart of the agenda.

Shenzhen’s competitive strength lies in its complete industrial chain, which tightly connects research institutions with manufacturers to accelerate commercialization. Its homegrown tech products range from AI chips and smart home appliances to cleaning robots and AR glasses, many of which have gained global popularity and even appeared at the latest FIFA World Cup. 

Pedrosa singled out the integration of artificial intelligence and renewable energy as a promising direction that resonates deeply with young generations. He urged all APEC delegations to explore Shenzhen’s innovation ecosystem ahead of November’s meeting.

This shift in APEC’s agenda, he noted, mirrors China’s pursuit of high-quality development and breathes life into the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040, which targets an open, dynamic, and resilient Asia-Pacific region. 

At the APEC Study Centers Consortium Youth Scholars Forum in May, Pedrosa highlighted young researchers’ irreplaceable role in building a regional community bonded by mutual understanding, rather than merely shared economic interests. He added that the Greater Bay Area’s complementary industrial strengths provide a scalable cooperation model for the entire Asia-Pacific.

2026 APEC: A new human-tech bond

As Pedrosa overlooked Shenzhen’s glowing skyline during an interview with Shenzhen Daily, he offered a forward-looking preview of what global leaders and observers will witness at the 2026 APEC meeting.  The world, he said, will not only marvel at Shenzhen’s legendary speed of urban construction, but also grasp a new relationship between humanity and technology forged here.

“Technology ultimately belongs to people,” he concluded. “It exists to serve humanity, earn their trust, and win their affection.”

With flexible coordination and creative problem-solving as core drivers, APEC will work collectively to build a more prosperous Asia-Pacific for current and future generations. Every small tech encounter Pedrosa experienced in Shenzhen — the gesture drone, the glasses tracker wish, AI translation headsets, ergonomic office chairs and playful AI chess robots — echoes this philosophy.

Shenzhen’s people-centered innovation model carries universal global value. It delivers technology designed for ordinary lives, warmly embraced by local residents, and capable of bringing inclusive, sustainable progress to every corner of the Asia-Pacific and the wider world.