The article stated that hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum is a priority in Vietnam’s foreign policy. It said alongside the country’s commitments to the ASEAN, United Nations and the World Trade Organization, the APEC Year 2017 proves its progress in multilateral diplomacy and global integration.
The paper described the APEC forum as a key platform for Vietnam’s integration, as the bloc groups 13 out of the country’s 25 strategic and comprehensive partners. Vietnam has signed free trade agreements with 18 out of 20 APEC member economies.
The article summarized the country’s history in APEC, including the hosting of the APEC Year 2006, when the 14th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting took place and the Hanoi Action Plan on the implementation of the Bogor Goals and on long-term cooperation orientations was passed. In 2014, the Vietnamese capital became the venue of the sixth APEC Human Resource Development Ministerial Meeting.
The paper said Vietnam is an active APEC member economy, which has proposed and implemented more than 100 projects in commerce, investment, economic and technical cooperation, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) development, health, food security, and anti-terrorism.
It said Vietnam has performed well as chair, co-chair and deputy chair of meetings of APEC committees and working groups on SMEs, energy, food security, natural disasters prevention, and sustainable tourism, among others.
In 2013, Vietnam registered to host the APEC Year 2017. The role reflects Vietnam’s contribution to the cooperation forum toward the 20th anniversary of the country’s APEC membership (1998 - 2008), the article noted.
Established in 1989, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) groups Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the US, and Vietnam.
It represents about 39 percent of the world’s population and contributes 57 percent to global GDP and 49 percent of international trade.
Every year, a host member holds more than 200 APEC events, including about 8-12 ministerial meetings, with the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week being the most important and often held at the end of the year. The bloc aims to complete the Bogor Goals on realizing free and open trade in the Asia-Pacific in 2020.
This year’s APEC Economic Leaders’ Week began in Da Nang, Vietnam, on November 6, lasting through November 11.
Source: VNA