APEC 2026: Why the GBA, where mountains, seas and worlds meet

Command a view of China's coastline, and a striking panorama of mountains and seas stretches out before you. 

Here too, major rivers flow into the sea and build land. The Yangtze River and the Yellow River have formed well-defined, elongated alluvial deltas. Yet the Pearl River Estuary has shaped a bay like no other.

It expands outward and narrows inward, with mountains and waterways intertwined, and rivers flowing into the open sea. Rivers carry silt downstream to build new land, while incoming tides push back and hold it in place. Between the force of rivers and the hold of tides, a fertile, vibrant coastal land has taken shape.

This was the Lingnan coastline a thousand years ago. Overseas merchants sailed across the waves to these shores. Lingnan's coastal clans welcomed them ashore. Goods were traded back and forth, and people forged mutual understanding. The very geography of this bay carries an innate spirit of convergence and shared prosperity.

In 2026, a series of APEC events will be held in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). As the world turns its eyes to the banks of the Pearl River, the centuries-old story embedded in this bay finally comes into view.

What exactly is this bay? Watch the video to find out.