APEC senior officials highlight progress on VN’s four priorities
APEC senior officials highlight progress on VN’s four priorities for 2017
International delegates to the APEC 2017 Second Senior Officials Meeting (SOM2) and related meetings in Hanoi have highlighted progress on the four priorities for APEC 2017 selected by host Vietnam.
Hanoi (VNA) – International delegates to the APEC2017 Second Senior Officials Meeting (SOM2) and related meetings in Hanoi have highlightedprogress on the four priorities for APEC 2017 selected by host Vietnam.
The four priorities are PromotingSustainable, Innovative and Inclusive Growth; Deepening Regional EconomicIntegration; Strengthening MSMEs’ Competitiveness and Innovation in the DigitalAge; and Enhancing Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture in Response toClimate Change.
According to Alan Bollard, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat,APEC is making good progress on Vietnam’s four priorities for the year.
“We have agreed on these priorities and are now hearing all other initiativesfrom other economies,” he said, adding that “We got the clear massage from theleaders at the last year meeting of the forum to focus much more on inclusion,so we do a lot of initiatives that focus on regional economic integration,trade and investment”.
APEC has a work programme on free trade in the Asia-Pacific and is alsocontinuing to work on regional trade agreements, he said.
Alison Mann, Director General of the Asia-Pacific Regional Integration Divisionunder the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said at themoment, APEC catches up most priorities for the year, and thanked Vietnam forputting very good proposals on table.
“We are very pleased to be working closely with Vietnam, particularly on theseproposals,” she said, noting that last year, leaders attached importance tothinking about how APEC shall benefit from trade organisations and services tomake sure that right policies are put in place to support those who are notmanaging well.
She said she is waiting for the conclusion of free trade agreements (FTAs) toopen the market in the Asia Pacific region, adding New Zealand is chairing a meetingof the working group on FTAs, helping economies to shape up work programmes.
The FTAs are a timely solution to difficult issues that hinder free trade, shestressed.
Regarding the establishment of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP),Alison Mann said it takes a long time to get the FTAAP but APEC keeps workingto see it one day, asking for more collaboration among all member economies inthis process.-VNA
Trade ministers and officials from the 21 APEC member economies will meet in Hanoi to alleviate uncertainty about the future of trade in the Asia-Pacific.
The APEC 2017 Second Senior Officials Meeting (SOM2) in Hanoi has focused on discussing APEC priorities adopted at the SOM1 held in Nha Trang city, the south central province of Khanh Hoa in March.
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Indonesian Ambassador Rina P. Soemarno, who currently serves as Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Prague, emphasised the spirit of regional solidarity and cooperation, and the importance of enhancing ASEAN–Czech Republic relations.
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Vietnamese Ambassador to Israel Ly Duc Trung emphasised ASEAN’s central role in regional mechanisms such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the East Asia Summit (EAS), highlighting its significant contribution to promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in Southeast Asia.
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Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly Istvan Jakab expressed his hope for further deepening Hungary’s ties with ASEAN countries and called for their support for Hungary’s accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.
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Indonesia’s waste generation is projected to exceed 50 million tonnes in 2025. Of the total, more than 20 million tonnes could potentially enter the ocean through rivers, coastal areas, small islands, ports, and marine activities, and thereby, pose a risk to coastal ecosystems and marine biota.
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The facility was established in response to a growing shift in the Filipino labour force from the Middle East to Japan, where workers are seeking safer working environments.
In the latest Indonesia-US trade agreement in July, the US administration agreed to reduce the reciprocal tariff, which was initially set at 32% by US President Donald Trump last April, to 19%.
Real estate agency ERA Singapore estimated that there are 2,703 condo developments in Singapore today, of which 836 or 31% are at least 30 years old. In 10 years, this number is expected to climb to 1,160, assuming none is sold en bloc.
A photo of SOM 2 (Photo: VNA) 
