Hanoi (VNA) – More than ever,now is the time for APEC economies to send a strong message affirming theircontinued commitment to open markets, deepened regional economic integration,and support for a new, more advanced process of globalisation, and bydeveloping a post-2020 vision can give shape to APEC’s values and role in theevolving regional economic and global architecture, said President Tran DaiQuang.

In his keynote address at the opening sessionof the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on APEC Toward 2020 and Beyond in Hanoi onMay 16, President Quang said, over the course of 28 years of development and 23years of realisation of the Bogor Goals of free and open trade and investment,APEC has recorded numerous important economic achievements.

He cited the fact that from 2000 to2015, APEC’s trade grew by 2.5 folds, from 6.4 trillion USD to 16.5 trillionUSD, while tariff on average has been slashed by half, from 11 percent in 1996to just 5 percent in 2015, saying these are animated statistics that attest tothe success and important role played by APEC over the past 30 years to helpmillions out of poverty.

However, the President also stressedthat APEC is facing new challenges posed by profound, rapid changes in theworld, the fourth industrial revolution, extensive economic integration andshifts in technologies, burgeoning middle-class and aging demographics.

In this new context of development, henoted APEC businesses and people, from mega corporations to millions of micro-,small- and medium-sized enterprises are asking questions that must be genuinelyaddressed: What has APEC done and what will it do for them? These questions areeven more urgent as the region faces slow and uncertain recovery, inequalityand the widening wealth gaps among and within economies.

The key to APEC’s success today is toplace people and businesses at the centre of development, hence APEC needs topromote sustainable, inclusive and innovative growth, allowing all segments ofsociety to participate in and enjoy the fruits of development and sharedprosperity.

President Quang suggested that APECshould pay particular attention to promoting education and training, developinghigh quality human resources and implement proactive and positive socialpolicies and solutions to ensure that all members of society can actively takepart in and benefit from the technological revolution in the digital age.

Over the next two to three decades, APECwill need to play on its strength as a voluntary, flexible cooperation forum totruly be an incubator of ideas, innovation and engine for growth and regionaleconomic integration, the State leader added.

President Quang urged delegates attendingthe dialogue to clarify specific measures and areas of cooperation to acceleratethe realisation of the Bogor Goals by 2020; APEC’s goals and timeframe for thepost-2020 period as well as its cooperation pillars; and steps that should betaken to develop a post-2020 Vision for APEC.

Meanwhile, in his welcoming remarks,Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, who is APEC 2017 SOM Chair, alsosaid that it is time for APEC to set out its goals for the next 10-15 years.

The dialogue is a platform forstakeholders to share multidimensional ideas to contributing to the building ofa peaceful and prosperous APEC region, he added.

Ambassador Don Campbell, Co-Chair of thePacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), said in the aftermath of the Global FinancialCrisis, APEC emphasised the need for future growth to be more balanced, inclusive,sustainable, innovative and secure to be achieved through a new growth strategy– echoing and updating APEC’s founding vision.

He expressed his hope that the dialoguewould be an opportunity for the participants to define a forward-looking vision that can helpto drive sets of policies and rules to ensure that people are sufficientlyempowered to benefit from the global changes.

The one-day dialogue includes twoplenary sessions focusing on the themes of APEC in a fast changing world andAPEC toward 2020 and beyond, and group discussions, each addressing thefollowing questions: How can APEC speed up efforts to achieve the Bogor Goals? Whatis the time frame for the new vision? What are the goals, pillars ofcooperation and role of APEC in the post-2020 era? How can stakeholders contributeto developing a post-2020 Vision for APEC? and What are the next steps to shapea post-2020 Vision for APEC?-VNA