A photo of SOM 2 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – International delegates to the APEC2017 Second Senior Officials Meeting (SOM2) and related meetings in Hanoi have highlightedprogress on the four priorities for APEC 2017 selected by host Vietnam.
The four priorities are PromotingSustainable, Innovative and Inclusive Growth; Deepening Regional EconomicIntegration; Strengthening MSMEs’ Competitiveness and Innovation in the DigitalAge; and Enhancing Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture in Response toClimate Change.
According to Alan Bollard, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat,APEC is making good progress on Vietnam’s four priorities for the year.
“We have agreed on these priorities and are now hearing all other initiativesfrom other economies,” he said, adding that “We got the clear massage from theleaders at the last year meeting of the forum to focus much more on inclusion,so we do a lot of initiatives that focus on regional economic integration,trade and investment”.
APEC has a work programme on free trade in the Asia-Pacific and is alsocontinuing to work on regional trade agreements, he said.
Alison Mann, Director General of the Asia-Pacific Regional Integration Divisionunder the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said at themoment, APEC catches up most priorities for the year, and thanked Vietnam forputting very good proposals on table.
“We are very pleased to be working closely with Vietnam, particularly on theseproposals,” she said, noting that last year, leaders attached importance tothinking about how APEC shall benefit from trade organisations and services tomake sure that right policies are put in place to support those who are notmanaging well.
She said she is waiting for the conclusion of free trade agreements (FTAs) toopen the market in the Asia Pacific region, adding New Zealand is chairing a meetingof the working group on FTAs, helping economies to shape up work programmes.
The FTAs are a timely solution to difficult issues that hinder free trade, shestressed.
Regarding the establishment of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP),Alison Mann said it takes a long time to get the FTAAP but APEC keeps workingto see it one day, asking for more collaboration among all member economies inthis process.-VNA
VNA
