Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Rasmei Kampuchea, a daily Cambodian newspaper in Khmer language,
published an article on November 5, analysing Vietnam’s role as the host of the
APEC Year 2017.
The article stated
that hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum is a priority
in Vietnam’s foreign policy. It said alongside the country’s commitments to the
ASEAN, United Nations and the World Trade Organisation, the APEC Year 2017
proves its progress in multilateral diplomacy and global integration.
The paper described
the APEC forum as a key platform for Vietnam’s integration, as the bloc groups
13 out of the country’s 25 strategic and comprehensive partners. Vietnam has
signed free trade agreements with 18 out of 20 APEC member economies.
The article
summarised the country’s history in APEC, including the hosting of the APEC
Year 2006, when the 14th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting took place and the
Hanoi Action Plan on the implementation of the Bogor Goals and on long-term
cooperation orientations was passed. In 2014, the Vietnamese capital became the
venue of the 6th APEC Human Resource Development Ministerial
Meeting.
The paper said
Vietnam is an active APEC member economy, which has proposed and implemented
more than 100 projects in commerce, investment, economic and technical
cooperation, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) development, health,
food security, and anti-terrorism.
It said Vietnam
has performed well as chair, co-chair and deputy chair of meetings of APEC
committees and working groups on SMEs, energy, food security, natural disasters
prevention, and sustainable tourism, among others.
In 2013, Vietnam
registered to host the APEC Year 2017. The role reflects Vietnam’s
contributions to the cooperation forum toward the 20th anniversary
of the country’s APEC membership (1998 – 2008), the article noted.
Established in
1989, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) groups Australia, Brunei,
Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of
Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines,
Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the US, and Vietnam.
It represents
about 39 percent of the world’s population and contributes 57 percent to global
GDP and 49 percent of international trade.
Every year, a host
member holds more than 200 APEC events, including about 8-12 ministerial
meetings, with the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week being the most important and
often held at the end of the year. The bloc aims to complete the Bogor Goals on
realising free and open trade in the Asia-Pacific in 2020.
This year’s APEC
Economic Leaders’ Week began in Da Nang, Vietnam, on November 6, lasting
through November 11.-VNA