The original estimate for development costs was in the excess of 382 billion rubles, and included money the city felt was necessary to bring infrastructure such as the sewage system, roads, bridges, and water pipes to up-to-date condition.

The construction of infrastructure serving the summit, by Darkin experts' estimates, would aid the economic development of the Russian Far East and would see more than a sixfold increase of the Gross Regional Product of Primorsky Krai by 2020.

[1] The construction projects were to include the building of bridges across Zolotoy Rog Bay and to Russky Island, new roads, modern hotels, a Theater of Opera and Ballet, as well as overall improvements to the city's infrastructure.

[14] On 8 April 2008, Sergey Stepashin, head of the Account Chamber of Russia, visited Vladivostok with the purpose of auditing summit preparation activities.

[17][18] In June 2008, Sergey Stepashin re-iterated the findings of the April audit, explicitly stating that Russia was not yet ready to host the summit.

On 9 July 2008, Viktor Grebnev, the Executive Director of the company, commented that construction of the other bridge—to Russky Island—would be impossible to accomplish on schedule for "technological reasons"; however, Vasiliy Avchenko in Expert argues that the Russian government will build the bridge at any cost, but on time, in order to demonstrate the island's possibilities.

[25] In September 2008, Prime Minister Putin announced that Russian military installations on the island would be removed and the building of the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University would proceed.

[27] In November 2008, Viktor Basargin, the Minister of Regional Development of Russia, visited Vladivostok International Airport and assessed the progress of construction of the bridges and the buildings on the Russky Island.

Originally, First Deputy Prime Minister in Vladimir Putin's Second Cabinet Igor Shuvalov did not confirm that such plans exist, although he noted that the scenario is possible.

During the meeting, the plans for building the theater of opera and ballet and the medical center were moved to an unspecified later date, but the rest of the construction is supposed to continue on schedule.

[31] Taiwan's decision to hold live fire drills on 31 August on Taiping Island, ahead of Vietnam's injections were said to have increased tensions in the South China Sea disputes prior to the summit.

Delegates representing the APEC economies included undergraduate and postgraduate students, young scientists, entrepreneurs and politicians, who proposed their own solutions to urgent social and economic problems facing the Asia-Pacific region.