The 10th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Telecommunications
and Information Ministerial Meeting (APEC TELMIN 10) endorsed the APEC
Telecommunications and Information (APEC TEL) Working Group Strategic
Action Plan for 2016-2020 on March 31.
Priority
areas in the 5-year action plan include developing and supporting
innovations in Information and Communications Technology (ICT),
promoting the formation of a secure and trusted ICT environment and
fostering regional integration and the development of digital and
internet economies.
APEC’s vision is to create an
integrated, trusted and reliable digital ecosystem and an upgraded
technology infrastructure alongside facilitating the widely use of
information technology (IT) and improved ICT capability by 2020.
Under the plan, member economies will be able to increase the
availability and effective use of IT infrastructure in the region, in a
bid to not only speed up regional integration but also spur sustainable
and comprehensive economic growth.
At the 2-day
meeting, APEC Ministers also held talks with industry leaders and
experts on APEC TEL’s vision for the future.
In his
speech, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications (MIC) Pham
Hong Hai stressed the importance of equal opportunity for everyone to
access ICT services as well as the necessity to develop mobile broadband
infrastructure and a proper business model between content and service
providers, particularly among overseas content providers.
He also shared Vietnam’s achievements in expanding its local broadband
networks and the governmental effort to improve legal frameworks and
policies towards an equal and competitive environment.
MIC Deputy Minister held a working session with the United States
delegation led by Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the
Environment Catherine A. Novelli on the sidelines of the meeting to
discuss future cooperation in information technology and communication
between the two countries in particular.
The APEC
TELMIN 10 took place from March 30-31 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, drawing
the participation of around 200 delegates from 19 APEC member
economies.
Earlier, the APEC Telecommunications and Information Senior Officials’ Meeting was held between March 26 and 28 in Malaysia.-VNA