Building resilient Asia-Pacific, engine for global growth

Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) continued their discussions during two important sessions before wrapping up the 21st APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Bali Island, Indonesia, on October 8.
Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) continued their discussions during two important sessions before wrapping up the 21st APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Bali Island, Indonesia, on October 8.

The sessions were on APEC’s vision of connectivity in the evolving regional and international architecture and sustainable growth attached to equality, food security, water resources and energy.

Addressing the sessions, President Truong Tan Sang underscored that connectivity has become essential for intra-bloc cooperation during the 21st century following the trend of globalisation, the strong development of innovation-oriented and digital technologies as well as the rapid expansion of the global supply chain.

Vietnam backs the early approval and implementation of APEC’s Supply Chain Connectivity Framework, focusing on practical necessary areas, especially connectivity through investment and funding for infrastructure, transport, information technology projects, facilitating travel in the fields of labour, education, tourism, emergency response, human resources development and increasing contributions by business community.

The President also asked APEC to support ASEAN’s goal of building an economic community by 2015, collaborate in implementing ASEAN’s projects on infrastructure, supply chain connectivity, trade facilitation, food security and small- and medium-sized enterprises.

APEC members may make significant contributions to Mekong sub-region cooperation, especially in the programmes designated to connect and narrow the development gaps in the region, he added.

Regarding sustainable development attached to equality, President Sang proposed new development thought and approach to food security, water resources and energy on the basis of a long-term, multi-sectoral, renovative and creative vision.

Cooperation in the fields should become a priority in APEC’s mechanism, he added.

Vietnam is fully aware of the importance of food security, water resources and energy, and has been actively participated in cooperation at all levels globally, inter-regionally, regionally as well as bilaterally, the President said, adding that Vietnam wishes and will continue to contribute to APEC’s joint efforts.

The meeting officially closed after issuing a joint declaration on “Resilient Asia-Pacific, Engine of Global Growth” and a statement supporting a multilateral trading system and the ninth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation.

The next APEC Leaders’ Meeting will be held in Beijing, China in 2014.

APEC member economies also agreed to support Vietnam’s bid to host the 25th APEC Leaders’ Meeting in 2017.

The close coordination between Vietnam and other ASEAN countries at the meetings in Bali have contributed to consolidating the significant role the ten-member bloc plays within the framework of APEC in particular and the Asia-Pacific regional architecture in general.

Earlier in the same day, President Truong Tan Sang attended an informal meeting between APEC leaders and leaders of the South Pacific Island Forum, the observers of the APEC forum.-VNA

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