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Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son proposed three cooperation priorities at the APEC Foreign and Economic Ministers' Meeting. (Photo: Tuan Anh)
On November 14 local time (November 15 Vietnam time), at the Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, USA, the 34th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ( APEC ) Foreign and Economic Ministers' Meeting (AMM 34) took place.
The conference was co-chaired by US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, with the participation of Foreign Ministers, Economic Ministers and Heads of Delegation of 21 APEC member economies.
Also attending the Conference were leaders of observer organizations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ), the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), and the Chairman of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC).
The Deputy Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Managing Director of the World Bank (WB) attended the Conference as guests. Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and leaders of the Ministry of Industry and Trade led the Vietnamese delegation to the Conference.
The conference focused on assessing the APEC cooperation situation in 2023, especially the progress of implementing the cooperation goals and plans approved in the APEC Putrajaya Vision to 2040. The conference also discussed measures towards two important APEC goals: sustainable and inclusive growth and building a resilient and connected region.
APEC Ministers emphasized the need to continue promoting regional economic integration, towards the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP); enhance the capacity of members in implementing comprehensive and high-quality trade agreements; and make further efforts to address bottlenecks to strengthen safe, resilient, sustainable and open supply chains.
The conference agreed that APEC needs to strengthen cooperation to build a free, open, transparent and inclusive trade and investment environment; ensure economic growth benefits all people; create conditions for people to access education, vocational training and sustainable employment; support micro, small and medium enterprises to improve their innovation capacity and participate more deeply in regional and global value chains.
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Foreign and Economic Ministers attending the Conference. (Photo: Tuan Anh)
In that spirit, the Ministers agreed to adopt the APEC Structural Reform Recommendations; called on members to accelerate the implementation of APEC commitments, especially the Food Security Roadmap to 2030, the Digital Economy/Internet Economy Roadmap, the Disaster Risk Reduction Framework and Action Plan, the Roadmap to Combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing; and the Roadmap on Women and Inclusive Growth.
Promoting cooperation in sustainable energy transition, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and ensuring regional self-reliance and energy security are the contents of high concern at the Conference.
The Ministers agreed to report to APEC Leaders on the APEC Principles for a Just Energy Transition.
In addition, the Conference also discussed many important contents for the region and the world such as food security, promoting digital cooperation, cloud transformation and Guidelines on transport infrastructure services supporting the transport of essential goods in medical emergencies.
On the occasion of the Conference, the Ministers awarded prizes to APEC's competition for good ideas and applications on green - circular - bio-economic models.
Speaking at the Conference, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son highly appreciated the results of APEC cooperation in 2023. Emphasizing the need to enhance the competitiveness and resilience of economies, respond to the challenges of climate change and growth decline, Minister Bui Thanh Son proposed three APEC cooperation priorities.
First , strengthen cooperation in responding to climate change and promoting green growth. APEC members need to accelerate cooperation programs on trade in environmental goods and services, green - bio - circular economic models, smart agriculture, equitable energy transition, and natural resource management.
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Overview of the APEC Foreign and Economic Ministers' Meeting. (Photo: Tuan Anh)
Second , take advantage of advances in science and technology to serve sustainable and inclusive growth. APEC cooperation must aim to support economies in building infrastructure and digital workforce, accessing and applying modern technology in agricultural and industrial production, natural disaster prevention, healthcare, and education.
Third , APEC cooperation should be people-centered. APEC projects and activities should contribute to building equitable education and health systems, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises to expand their markets, and enhancing the role of women in the economy and society.
The speech of the Vietnamese delegation was shared and highly appreciated by the members and was reflected in the documents and Declaration of the Conference.
The 34th APEC Foreign and Economic Ministers' Meeting is an important activity during the APEC Summit Week 2023 to prepare for the 30th APEC Leaders' Meeting, which will take place on November 16-17.
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