APEC 2017: continuity and new initiatives

Bui Thanh Son, Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister of Vietnam and SOM Chair of APEC 2017, said that, “Vietnam is proud to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) this year, a decade after we first hosted the forum in 2006. The past decades of reform and robust integration have enabled Vietnam to contribute effectively to co-operation under the aegis of the APEC.”

“Our experiences in joining a region-wide network of free trade agreements (FTAs) with most APEC members and our successes in promoting inclusive growth and sustainable development are stories worthy of sharing,” Son said.

According to him, the Vietnamese leadership’s commitment to build an action-oriented government of integrity as well as its tireless work to serve the people and businesses will add to APEC’s common efforts to facilitate a more open business environment. Vietnam’s structural reforms, improvements to market economy mechanisms, policies and regulations, and administrative reforms are all in line with the APEC’s goals.

“We believe that the APEC must demonstrate its vitality, dynamism, and responsiveness, that it must assume global leadership in addressing the challenges of today, and that it remains an incubator of ideas, an engine for innovation, and a driver for regional economic growth and integration,” Son said.

Themed “Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future,” APEC 2017 will advance a regional agenda with the following priorities proposed by Vietnam:

- Promoting sustainable, innovative, and inclusive growth

- Deepening regional economic integration

- Strengthening MSMEs' competitiveness and innovation in the digital age

- Enhancing food security and sustainable agriculture in response to climate change

Building on APEC's achievements, Vietnam, as the host of APEC in 2017, will continue to place regional economic integration among APEC's top priorities as it moves toward achieving the Bogor Goals. At the same time, new initiatives need to be taken in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris COP 21 Agreement.

These will set a solid foundation and create momentum to reach APEC's objectives in the future. Specifically, APEC will work toward advancing the Bogor Goals and shaping APEC's post-2020 agenda, envisaging the eventual realisation of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, supporting the multilateral trading system, promoting APEC Connectivity and Supply Chain Connectivity, promoting regional and global value chains and supporting Industry, facilitating cross-border e-commerce, and promoting investment and services liberalisation and facilitation.

Key meetings for APEC 2017

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