Trade ministers from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum began a meeting in Singapore on July 21 to tackle issues such as the global economic crisis, protectionism and ways of pushing forward the stalled Doha Round of trade talks.

General Director of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Pascal Lamy joined the ministers and deputy ministers from 21 APEC member economies at the two-day meeting, which is being held in preparation for a summit of APEC leaders scheduled for Singapore in November.

The ministers are planning to issue a stand-alone statement that will focus on their concerns about the lack of progress in global trade talks, the rise of the threat of protectionism and express their desire for the Doha talks to be completed by 2010. The statement is expected to be issued at the end of the meeting on July 22, in addition to the usual joint statement.

The meeting comes just two weeks after a Group of Eight (G8) summit in
L'Aquila, Italy, where the leaders of the world's most powerful nations and emerging economies agreed to conclude the Doha talks next year.

The Doha round was launched in the Qatari capital in late 2001, aimed at tearing down trade barriers and combating protectionism and price subsidies, especially in the agricultural sector, by 2013.

However, the talks have repeatedly foundered, notably over disputes between developed and developing nations on agricultural and industrial products.

Formed in 1989 as a loose consultative forum, 21 APEC member economies account for close to 44 percent of global trade and half of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP).

The forum groups includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam./.