Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (Photo: VNA) Opening the meeting, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs BuiThanh Son, who is APEC 2017 SOM Chair, said the outlook for the Asia-Pacificremains the strongest in the world, with momentum picking up, as showed in thelatest IMF World Economic Outlook.
However, the report also pointed out that near-term outlookis clouded with significant uncertainties and challenges, which call forindividual economy actions to be supported by multilateral cooperation, as wellas policies to support growth while boosting structural reforms, resilience andinclusiveness.
“Therefore, the cluster of SOM2 and related meetings, especiallyour meeting today and tomorrow is critical to executing the adoptedpriorities, advancing new initiatives, preparing for the Meeting of MinistersResponsible for Trade, and starting to shape the agenda and identify possibledeliverables for the Leaders’ Week,” he stressed.
During the meeting, the APEC senior officials will note theprogress of developing the APEC Framework on Cross-border E-commerceFacilitation and discuss recent developments of FTAs/RTAs in the region and theimplementation of Lima Declaration on the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific(FTAAP).
They will also discuss how APEC can support the multilateral trading system(MTS) and contribute to the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference as well as othertrade and investment issues, including regulatory cooperation, supply chainconnectivity and global value chains cooperation.
The officials are scheduled to look into the progress in the development of theStrategy on Green, Sustainable and Innovative micro, small and mediumenterprises (MSMEs) and the Action Plan on Food Security, SustainableAgriculture and Food Security and Inclusive Growth through the PolicyPartnership on Food Security (PPFS).
They will also discuss efforts to enhance women’s economic empowerment as wellas the progress in the development of the proposal on “Bridging Gap in EconomicDevelopment and Integration of Remote Areas for Sustainable Growth in the APECRegion.”-VNA
