APEC ministers push for free trade area

The 21st APEC Ministerial Meeting ended in Singapore on Nov. 12 after issuing a joint statement that called for the building of a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP).
The 21st APEC Ministerial Meeting endedin Singapore on Nov. 12 after issuing a joint statement that called forthe building of a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP).

Foreign and Trade Ministers from 21 member economies of theAsia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum also emphasised the needto promote the wide-spread use of green technology in a bid to copewith climate change.

Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang and Deputy forForeign Affairs Dao Viet Trung attended the two-day meeting, which wasco-chaired by Singaporean Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo andMinister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang.

At the meeting, the ministers applauded the achievements APEC hasposted over the past two decades and unanimously adopted a Report onInclusive and Sustainable Growth.

The ministers praised joint efforts to implement cooperation agreementssince the 16th APEC Summit and ratified an annual report and proposalsby the Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI) and a report on theIndividual Action Plan (IAP).

The ministers approved the Work Plan for the 2010 Assessment of APECIndustrialised Economies’ Achievements of the Bogor Goals and measuresto tighten regional economic links, including solutions to reducebusiness costs, facilitate investment, strengthen the protection ofintellectual property rights and enhance infrastructure and servicesconnectivity.

The participants heard a report on recent progress of the Dohanegotiations which was presented by General Director of the World TradeOrganisation (WTO) Pascal Lamy.

The ministers were unanimous that APEC should join hands to speed upthe Doha round of negotiations and combat trade protectionism. Theyagreed to no longer impose any protection measures until the end of2010 and voiced support for Russia’s bid to join the WTO soon.

The ministers held that cooperation in the fields of economics,technology and human security remain important pillars of APEC,stressing that priority should be given to human resource development,concerted efforts to cope with climate change, prevention andmitigation of natural disasters, food security and health care.

The ministers lauded the selection of the first full-time managingdirector of APEC for the 2010-2013 term and agreed to continueimplementing reform measures to step up cooperation in the years tocome.

Also on Nov. 12, the 16th APEC Finance Ministers’ Meeting took place inSingapore with the participation of top leaders of the InternationalMonetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank (WB), the Asian Develop Bank (ADB)and the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). Finance Minister Vu VanNinh headed the Vietnamese delegation to the meeting.

The APEC Finance Ministers exchanged views on prospects for the worldand regional economies, and discussed fiscal stimulus and exitstrategies. They held that easing monetary policy and fiscal stimulusprogrammes has reaped remarkable results and will play an importantrole in recovering the regional economy.

The ministers lauded the launch of the Framework for Strong,Sustainable and Balanced Growth at the G-20 Meeting of FinanceMinisters and Central Bank Governors as well as commitments to enhancecoordination amongst APEC member economies in implementing economicstimulus measures.

Vietnamese delegates to the meeting shared experiences in dealing withthe impact of the global economic and financial crisis.

Participants welcomed Vietnam’s proposals and pledged to work closelywith the country when it takes over the ASEAN presidency in 2010./.

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