The committees, working groups and forums are the Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI), the Human Resource Development Working Group (HRDWG), the Life Sciences Innovation Forum (LSIF), the Competition Policy and Law Group (CPLG), the Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures (SCCP), the Counter Terrorism Working Group (CTWG), and the Electronic Commerce Steering Group (ECSG).

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 An SCCP meeting. Photo: VNA
The CTI held a workshop themed “Trade promotion to facilitate sustainable and inclusive growth through rural development and poverty reduction.” Participants at the workshop discussed measures to boost sustainable and inclusive growth, remove trade barriers to products that directly contribute to growth, and enhance the role of trade in poverty reduction and rural development.

The ECSG began its first activities within the framework of the Data Privacy Sub-Group. The group discussed the application of the Cross Border Privacy Rules System (CBPR), updated information about the use of the system, and shared feedback of businesses over this system.

A workshop titled “Economics in competition policies” was also held by the CPLG, in which attendees exchanged information and highlighted economic evidence in dealing with competition-related cases, the role and power of the market, monopoly, merger policy, etc.

The HRDWG continued its meetings of the three networks, namely the Capacity Building Network, the Education Network, and the Labor and Social Protection Network. It approved specific activities that need carrying out in 2017 and agreed to strengthen coordination at regional and international education and training forums.

The same day, the CTWG and LSIF also concluded their first plenary sessions. At the session of the CTWG, APEC members shared activities and anti-terrorism measures conducted in other multilateral forums and mechanisms and agreed upon priorities for the upcoming meeting of the group. The LSIF reviewed cooperation in 2016, mulled over the biomedical technology commercialization and the big data application to medical research.

Translated by Huu Duong