On November 8, U.S. President Trump stated that he expects to meet with Xi Jinping and Putin during the APEC leaders' meeting to be held in Shenzhen from November 18 to 19, with topics covering denuclearization and ending the war in Iran; the Chinese side stated it is communicating with relevant parties, and the trilateral formal talks have not yet been confirmed.
The Financial Times reported on November 6 that Shenzhen has stepped up enforcement ahead of the APEC summit. Dozens of vendors in the Huaqiangbei second-hand mobile phone market were arrested, foreign iPhones were banned from sale, and counterfeit goods in Luohu Commercial City were removed, with frequent inspections and police stations on 24-hour duty.
On November 6, netizens filmed sanitation workers in Shenzhen, who were participating in city appearance maintenance for the APEC meeting, lacking proper rest and dining facilities. They were seen squatting on the roadside at noon eating cold meals and pickles they brought themselves, and sleeping in green belts at night. Netizens are calling for the improvement of rest stations and hot meal support.
The Shenzhen police announced that the APEC security command system has entered wartime mode, and low-altitude control will be implemented starting November 7. Drones, kites, and sky lanterns are all within the ban.
On November 3, netizens discovered that as the APEC meeting approaches, white barriers have been installed at parking areas for electric bicycles near subway stations on Longzhu Avenue and other locations in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, to conceal the vehicles, sparking mockery from netizens who called it an act of 'burying one's head in the sand' and a waste of money.
On November 3, Shenzhen announced temporary traffic control measures during the APEC meeting via the "Shenzhen Fabu" WeChat official account: from November 17 to 20, between 6:00 and 22:00 daily, non-Guangdong B licensed passenger cars are prohibited from driving in the six districts of Futian, Luohu, Nanshan, Bao'an, Longgang, and Longhua, and trucks are also subject to restricted access by category and time period.
The Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department held a mobilization meeting for the APEC summit security of the entire provincial public security organs, deploying high-level duty and heavy police presence on the streets for strict control.
On November 1, 17 days before the opening of the APEC Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen, the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department ordered all public security organs across the province to initiate high-level duty, deploy heavy forces onto the streets for strict management and control, and transfer police personnel to support Shenzhen for enhanced inspection and control on the outer peripheries of Shenzhen and Guangdong.
As the 2026 APEC meeting approaches, security measures in Shenzhen have become strict. Some residents report that their online orders are being returned to the sender, and daily items such as nail clippers cannot be shipped normally.
On October 29, a Shenzhen netizen posted that due to APEC security controls, the Evian facial spray they purchased could not be shipped. Multiple netizens reported that scissors, knives, mosquito coils, deodorant sprays, and other items sent to Shenzhen addresses were either refunded by merchants or flagged as being outside the sales area.
On October 26, a blogger on Xiaohongshu (RedNote) posted a video showing sanitation workers in Shenzhen using steel wool to scrub stainless steel road bollards. Netizens questioned the formalism and called for extra compensation for the sanitation workers.
On October 25, Russian presidential aide Ushakov stated that preparations for a trilateral meeting between Xi Jinping, Trump, and Putin have begun, that all three countries are in principle ready to meet, that the Chinese side's attitude is "very serious," and that the meeting is planned to be held during the Shenzhen APEC summit on November 18-19.
On October 23, an online store selling model protective spray paint notified customers that, because Shenzhen is hosting the 2026 APEC Meeting (November 18 to 19), the product falls within the control zone, and deliveries to Shenzhen addresses are temporarily suspended. Shipping will resume after November 19, and buyers in Shenzhen were advised not to place orders for now.
On October 21, a netizen photographed a poster put up in an office building in Shenzhen titled “In Order Not to Cause Trouble for the Shenzhen APEC Summit, Please Choose Your Way of Contributing,” which listed options such as working overtime until late at night and letting your beloved car sit idle. It sparked heated discussion among netizens and was subsequently taken down.
On October 19, a netizen posted a notice: during the APEC meeting from November 16 to 20, Shenzhen citywide will not have a unified holiday or adjusted rest day; enterprises may independently arrange working from home, staggered commuting hours, flexible working hours, and paid annual leave, and it was emphasized that flexible arrangements must not be used to unlawfully extend working hours, evade overtime pay, or lower wage standards.