Dialogue on shaping integrated, inclusive Asia-Pacific

Delegates at the dialogue (Source: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - An informal dialogue on shaping an integrated and inclusive Asia-Pacific took place in Hanoi on May 21 under the chair of Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh.

The event saw the attendance of ministers and representatives of APEC member economies and other regional cooperation mechanisms, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Pacific Alliance (PA), the Euroasia Economic Union (EAEU) and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC).

This is the first activity gathering representatives of key Asia-Pacific  connection mechanisms, in which APEC members have the leading role, to exchange information and review regional connectivity and discuss measures to strengthen the collaboration among the mechanisms as well as foster economic connectivity intensively and extensively.

Speaking at the event, Minister Tran Tuan Anh affirmed that APEC is enjoying unprecedented opportunities of regional connectivity.

Regional economies are pursuing an ambitious objective of a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) and a closely integrated Asia-Pacific community, he said, adding that today, economic connection means growth and prosperity.

At the event, delegates spoke highly of Vietnam’s initiative to organise the dialogue to  contribute to boosting regional connectivity in order to shaping a closely integrated Asia-Pacific, in which every person and enterprise contribute to and benefit from the international economic connection process.

They also stressed the important role of Asia-Pacific as the initiator of ideas for cooperation and connection, and as a locomotive of regional growth and economic connectivity.

Economic connectivity has become a driving force for sustainable, innovative and inclusive growth in the context that the global economy recovers more positively but still remains risks, they noted.

The officials agreed that the formation of more multi-level integrated and cooperative mechanisms at present is a vivid manifestation of the region’s dynamism. However, it also requests more effective and synchronous cooperation between regional connection mechanisms to bring more practical benefits for people and enterprises, they said.

They held that more than ever, the current and emerging regional connectivity and cooperation mechanisms need to supplement each other to improve the efficiency and transparency of regional governance, thus strengthening Asia-Pacific’s capacity in coping with rising challenges so that Asia-Pacific continues to affirm its leading role globally in growth and economic connectivity in the third decade of the 21 century.-VNA