(NB&CL) The APEC 2024 Summit Week taking place in Lima (Peru) from November 10 to 16 is an important highlight of APEC 2024. The year 2024 is of great significance, marking the 35th anniversary of APEC's founding, an opportunity for members to review and evaluate the results and determine the direction of cooperation in the new period. President Luong Cuong led the Vietnamese High-Level Delegation to attend this event.
APEC 2024 - 35th anniversary of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
1989 was a time when globalization was taking place very strongly, countries and regions were increasingly interdependent, and the need to promote and expand economic cooperation was growing.
From that need, the trend of economic integration developed strongly, especially in Europe with the EU promoting intra-bloc integration and in America with the birth of the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) including the US, Canada and Mexico. Many economies in the Asia-Pacific region at that time, longed to stand together in a cooperation mechanism to promote liberalization, facilitate trade and investment; promote growth and sustainable development.
On November 6-7, 1989, the Foreign and Economic Ministers of 12 economies on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, met in Canberra (Australia) for the first time to hold a conference and officially decided to establish APEC.
By 1993, from a multilateral economic forum at the ministerial level, the Forum's annual meeting began to be held with the participation of the head of that economy or his representative. The APEC annual meeting was soon renamed the "APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting".
To date, after 35 years, the Forum includes 21 member economies, including 9 members of the Group of 20 major economies (G20), representing about 38% of the world's population, contributing more than 60% of GDP and nearly 50% of global trade. Cooperation in APEC focuses on 3 main pillars: Trade and investment liberalization, Business facilitation, Economic and technical cooperation. Most importantly, APEC increasingly affirms its leading role and mission to promote the trend of economic, trade and investment liberalization in the region and the world.
2024 is considered an important year, marking the 35th anniversary of APEC's establishment, an opportunity for members to review, evaluate results and determine directions for cooperation in the new period.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Week this year, taking place in Lima (Peru) from November 10 to 16, 2024, is an important highlight of APEC 2024.
As the Chair of APEC 2024, host country Peru continues to promote inclusive growth, ensuring that all people have access to and benefit from APEC cooperation programs. In that spirit, the theme "Empowerment. Inclusion. Growth" in APEC 2024 is promoted by host country Peru with 3 main priorities: Trade and investment for inclusive and connected growth; Innovation and digitalization to promote the transition from the informal economy to the formal and global economy; Sustainable growth for self-reliant development.
President Luong Cuong at Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima. Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA
Vietnam: Active and proactive contribution to APEC Forum
Realizing the importance of APEC to Vietnam's foreign policy and future development, on June 15, 1996, Vietnam submitted an application expressing its desire to join APEC. In November of that year, the Politburo issued a Resolution on expanding and improving the effectiveness of foreign economic work in the 1996-2000 period; emphasizing the task of "urgently and firmly conducting negotiations on a trade agreement with the United States, joining APEC and the World Trade Organization (WTO)". On November 14, 1998, the 10th APEC Foreign and Economic Ministers' Meeting admitted Vietnam along with Russia and Peru.
Since then, in more than 25 years of participating in APEC (1998-2024), Vietnam has left many strong marks in APEC cooperation, and has always been assessed as a member with many positive, responsible and effective contributions to realizing APEC's cooperation goals and visions as well as enhancing the role of the Forum.
Notably, as affirmed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang: Firstly , Vietnam has twice successfully assumed the responsibility of APEC Host in 2006 and 2017, affirming its capacity to manage and lead APEC cooperation, contributing to the success of the Conferences, promoting the momentum of cooperation and economic linkage of APEC and the Asia-Pacific region. We also assume many leadership positions in various APEC mechanisms, including the Secretariat, ASEAN Group, Committees/Working Groups. Recently, Vietnam has once again been trusted by members to host APEC Year 2027.
Second, we have actively contributed to maintaining the momentum of APEC cooperation in the context of international economic cooperation and integration facing many challenges. By proposing and implementing nearly 190 initiatives and projects in many important areas such as structural reform, human resource development, women's empowerment, rural and urban development, climate change response, food security, e-commerce, etc., Vietnam has contributed to making APEC cooperation contents increasingly rich and comprehensive, adapting APEC to changes in the international situation and catching up with new development trends of the times, affirming APEC's indispensable role in promoting economic growth and integration in Asia - Pacific and globally.
Third, we have initiated and participated in shaping the long-term vision for APEC cooperation. Notably, the building of the APEC Vision to 2040 is a highlight. Vietnam has proactively participated in leading and coordinating the process of building the Report titled “People and Prosperity: APEC Vision to 2040”. This is the basis for APEC Leaders to adopt the APEC Vision of an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community by 2040, for the prosperity of all people and future generations.
During the APEC Summit Week 2024, Vietnam will continue to participate and make active and responsible contributions to the 31st APEC Summit and related meetings as well as the APEC Business Summit with the participation of more than 1,000 leading businesses in the region.
President Luong Cuong will put forward many strategic and innovative proposals to further promote the role and position of APEC in international economic cooperation and connectivity, and respond to challenges facing the international community in general and the Asia-Pacific region in particular.
The President will also convey the message about the Vietnamese people's aspirations to rise up in the new era, the major orientations on development, foreign affairs and international integration of Vietnam, in which the Asia-Pacific region and the APEC Forum are among the top priorities, calling on APEC member economies and the regional business community to continue to accompany and support Vietnam in realizing the goal of becoming a high-income developed country by 2045.
Nguyen Ha
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/truyen-tai-thong-diep-ve-khat-vong-vuon-minh-cua-dan-toc-viet-nam-trong-ky-nguyen-moi-post321263.html
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