APEC Study Centres Consortium convenes conference in Hanoi

The APEC Study Centres Consortium (ASCC) Conference 2017 opened in Hanoi on May 12 within the framework of the APEC 2017 Second Senior Officials Meetings (SOM2) and related meetings.
APEC Study Centres Consortium convenes conference in Hanoi ảnh 1Photo of a meeting (Source: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The APEC Study Centres Consortium (ASCC) Conference 2017opened in Hanoi on May 12 within the framework of the APEC 2017 Second SeniorOfficials Meetings (SOM2) and related meetings.

Addressing the event, Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, who is also ViceChairman of the National Committee for APEC, said that over the past nearly threedecades, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) has asserted itself as aleading economic mechanism in the region and the world that leads theliberalization of trade and investment as well as promote multi-layercooperation trends.

APEC represents 39 percent of the global population and contributes 57 percentof GDP and 47 percent of trade in the world, he said.

In the coming time, APEC will play an indispensable role in the evolvingregional architecture, coordinating and connecting regional linkage mechanisms,he noted.

According to the Deputy Foreign Minister, APEC now holds an important part inVietnam’s multilateral foreign policy. The country has set up strategic andcomprehensive partnerships with 13 APEC member economies. It has also signedand joined free trade agreements with 18 members.

APEC cooperation in promoting liberalization of trade and investment, developingquality human resources development, facilitating micro, small and mediumenterprises (MSMEs)’ operations, responding to disasters and enhancingconnectivity will greatly contributing to Vietnam’s socio-economic development,he stressed.

He urged participants at the conference to work to identify emerging trends inAsia-Pacific that have great impact on APEC cooperation, promote the role ofAPEC in the new context, and propose measures to boost sustainable andinclusive growth, develop human resources, encourage innovation, enhanceregional linkages and increase competitiveness of MSMEs.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Nguyen Nguyet Nga, SeniorAdvisor to Vietnam’s APEC 2017 National Secretariat, spoke highly of the roleplayed by policy researchers in fostering understanding and connectivity amongAPEC members, especially when the region enters its fourth decade ofdevelopment in 2019.

Researchers must be pioneers in making policies, laying basic foundations forpolicy makers to build next programmes and plans, she noted, adding that theyshould pay more attention to strengthening APEC collaboration in a practicalmanner and promoting sustainable growth and intensive regional connectivity.

During the two-day conference, delegates will discuss new trends, challengesand outlook for the Asia-Pacific region, relevance and dynamism for APEC in thenew context, and the development of an APEC Labour Mobility Framework.

They will also focus on measures to promote resilience, sustainable andinclusive growth among APEC member economies, and human resources developmentand technological innovation in the region as well as deepen regional economicintegration, and enhance capacity and competitiveness of MSMEs.-VNA
VNA

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