Chief Executive John Lee on Sunday expressed the hope for a “more connected, innovative, and prosperous” Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit next year, as he wrapped up his South Korea trip.

Following this year’s high-level meeting in Gyeongju, China will take over as host in 2026 with the summit set to be held in Shenzhen.

On his last day in the South Korean city, Lee met and congratulated the mayor of Gyeongju, Joo Nak-young, on “successfully holding the outstanding meeting”.

“I look forward to the Apec meeting to be held in Shenzhen next year, where economies will gather in a more connected, innovative, and prosperous posture,” he wrote on social media.

Lee noted that the emblem of this year’s Apec was a butterfly – something he also used as an analogy to describe Hong Kong when looking back at his third year in office.

“In this era of rapid global development and continuous breakthroughs driven by artificial intelligence and innovation technology, transitioning from the old to the new, from history to the future, and from stability to prosperity, we all require the courage to spread our wings and soar to new heights,” he said.