CHINA / Background
APEC Ministerial Meetings
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-11-15 11:10
HANOI -- Foreign and trade ministers or representatives from the 21
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ( APEC) member economies began their
two-day gathering in Vietnam's capital Hanoi on Wednesday to make final
preparations for the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (AELM) slated for
November 18-19.
The following is a brief introduction to APEC's 17 previous ministerial
meetings:
As a major part of APEC's decision-making mechanism, the ministerial
meeting has been commissioned with preparations for the APEC leaders'
meeting. It is also tasked with the implementation of the resolutions
adopted by the AELM and overseeing discussions of important economic
issues in the region.
The first APEC ministerial meeting was held on the initiative of
then-Australian prime minister Robert Hawke, in Canberra, Australia, in
November 1989. The session set the course for APEC as an open regional
economic cooperation forum devoted to global trade liberalization, the
promotion of trade, investment and technical cooperation in the
Asia-Pacific region. The meeting marked the official launch of APEC.
Since then, the ministerial meeting has become an annual event.
The second ministerial meeting was held in Singapore in July 1990. After
deliberations on issues like world and regional economic developments,
APEC work projects and future participation, the meeting adopted a number
of important documents, including the "Declaration on the Uruguay Round."
The third meeting held in South Korean capital Seoul in November 1991
marked the first enlargement of the 12-body group.
China, China's Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei were accepted as new members.
The "Seoul Declaration" finalized APEC's objectives of developing and
strengthening the open multilateral trading system, reducing barriers to
trade in goods and services and investment.
The fourth ministerial meeting was held in Bangkok, Thailand, in
September 1992. The meeting decided to set up a permanent APEC
secretariat in Singapore.
The fifth meeting was held in Seattle, the United States, in November
1993. The meeting adopted the "Declaration on an APEC Trade and
Investment Framework." Mexico and Papua New Guinea were admitted into the
group.
The sixth ministerial meeting was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, in November
1994. The ministers adopted the "Declaration on the Human Resources
Development Framework," which confirms the principles and elements of
human resources development in APEC.
The seventh APEC ministerial meeting was held in Osaka, Japan, in
November 1995. Ministers formulated plans of action for the
implementation of the Bogor Goals and approved "Partners for Progress."
They also agreed to establish the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC).
The eighth APEC ministerial meeting was held in Manila, the Philippines,
in November 1996. The ministers approved a draft of " Manila Action Plan
for APEC" and the "Declaration on an APEC Framework on Strengthening
Economic Cooperation and Development."
The ninth ministerial meeting was held in Vancouver, Canada, in November
1997. The meeting reaffirmed the importance of economic and technical
cooperation, trade and investment liberalization, and adopted an annex on
"Early Voluntary Sectional Liberalization" and "APEC Ministerial
Statement on Membership."
The 10th meeting was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in November 1998. A
joint statement of the meeting set reviving economic growth in the region
as one of APEC's major tasks. The ministers also endorsed the documents
of the "APEC Blueprint for Action on Electronic Commerce," "The 1998 APEC
Agenda for Science and Technology Industry Cooperation into the 21st
Century" and " The Kuala Lumpur Action Program on Skills Development."
The 11th ministerial meeting was held in Auckland, New Zealand, in
September 1999. The main themes of the meeting were expanding business
opportunities, strengthening markets and broadening support for APEC. The
ministers endorsed the documents of "APEC Principles to Enhance
Competition and Regulatory Reform," "Non- binding Principles on
Government Procurement" and "APEC Mutual Recognition Arrangement on
Electrical and Electronic Equipment."
The 12th APEC ministerial meeting was held in Bandar Seri Begawan,
Brunei, in November 2000. The central theme of the meeting was trade and
investment liberalization and facilitation, the strengthening of the
multilateral trading system, human resources development. There were also
three broader themes -- building stronger foundations, creating new
opportunities and making the APEC matter more to its member economies.
The 13th ministerial meeting was held in Shanghai, China in October 2001.
Under the theme of "Meeting New Challenges in the New Century: Achieving
Common Prosperity through Participation and Cooperation," ministers from
21 APEC members discussed the issues of trade liberalization, economic
and technical cooperation, financial cooperation and human resource
exploitation. The meeting also passed a joint statement which included
APEC's stand on the global economy, resumption of a new round of WTO
negotiations, APEC strategy on development of information industry and
sustainable development.
The 14th meeting was held in Los Cabos, Mexico in October 2002. The theme
for APEC 2002 was "Expanding the Benefits of Economic Cooperation for
Growth and Development.
Implementing the Vision." Held in the context of continuing recovery from
the previous year' s economic slow down, including the impact of
September 11, the meeting focused its discussion on counter-terrorism and
economic growth. The ministers said in their joint statement that all
kinds of terrorism had posted a direct threat to economic stability and
regional peace and security of the Asian-Pacific region.
The 15th meeting was held in the Thai capital of Bangkok in October 2003.
During the two-day meeting, ministers conducted intensive consultations
on diversified issues including economic and technical cooperation, trade
and investment liberalization and anti-terrorism cooperation.
The 16th ministerial meeting was held in the Chilean capital of Santiago
in November 2004. The ministers "reiterated the commitment of each APEC
member economy to fight terrorism and secure trade flows."
The 17th ministerial meeting was held in South Korean port city of Busan
in November 2005. The ministers pledged in a joint statement issued
afterward to take concerted measures to facilitate free trade and combat
avian influenza, terrorism and corruption.
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