Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son said the theme proposed by Vietnam as “Creating new driving force for a common future” was strongly supported as it is suitable with the regional and global common development trends and beneficial for the involved parties.
Delegates in a joint photo
Raul Salazar, head of the Peruvian delegation to the Informal Senior Official Meeting (ISOM), said he was satisfied when Vietnam inherited two important issues that Peru ed in APEC 2016, noting that investment in human resources will create equal opportunities for all people.
He praised Vietnam for continuously developing policies on food, food production, and food markets.
Delegates held that promoting regional economic connectivity and ensuring sustainable and inclusive growth will continue to be the top priorities of APEC cooperation in the 21st century.
Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat Alan Bollard said the priorities set for APEC 2017 are equally important, focusing on economic growth, regional integration, agriculture, food, innovation and small-scale businesses.
He spoke highly of Vietnam’s active participation in APEC over the past 20 years and expressed his belief that the country will make more practical contributions to bringing a new development chapter for APEC in 2017.
Vietnam joined APEC in 1998, and successfully hosted APEC 14 in 2006, which laid a foundation for the Asia-Pacific Free Trade areas and adopted the Hanoi Action Plan to implement the Bogor goals and initiatives to improve cooperation within APEC.
Established in 1989, APEC comprises 21 economies, including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the US and Vietnam.
Source: VNA