To address widening trade imbalances across the Asia-Pacific region, surplus-heavy nations such as China should be buying more, and deficit-running economies need to bolster their competitiveness, a top Apec official said on Thursday.“China has been developing significantly in recent decades … [becoming] sort of a global producer for the whole world. But now, the next challenge is for China to become the market for the whole world,” said Carlos Kuriyama, director of the Policy Support Unit at the Apec Secretariat, the core body supporting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s 21 member economies.“On the other hand, we need other economies that are having deficits to increase their competitiveness, so this is something in which not only one economy needs to take action,” Kuriyama added, noting that the process should include improving investment efficiency and productivity.Kuriyama warned that structural imbalances would remain wide in the near future and cautioned that protectionist responses could exacerbate regional fragmentation rather than resolving underlying issues.The remarks came on the eve of Apec’s annual Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, which will take place in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, from Friday to Saturday. Trade ministerial representatives from Apec members are expected to discuss trade imbalances, supply-chain resilience, and how to manage the spillover impact from the US-Israel war on Iran.10:31The Europe-China trade relationship: deficits, disputes and de-risking