Addressing Asia-Pacific region’s business leaders at the APEC Business Advisory Council meeting held in Ha Long Bay in Vietnam this week, Thani Thongphakdi, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Thailand and 2022 Chair of the APEC Senior Officials, emphasized member economies’ commitment to facilitating trade and investment in the region and addressing the economic crisis.
"On our priority to strengthen regional economic integration, we made good progress in moving forward the conversation on the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific or FTAAP," said Thani in a media release issued by the APEC Secretariat on Thursday.
"We took on board the private sector’s recommendations and agreed to develop a multi-year workplan, on which we look forward to further collaborating with APEC business leaders to advance the FTAAP agenda," Thani further explained.
According to Thani, the workplan will focus on digitalization, inclusive growth, sustainability, trade and investment, as well as trade response to the pandemic.
Tourism and Travel
Reconnecting the region remains high on the agenda as tourism and travel is a key economic driver for recovery.Thailand, the host of APEC 2022, drives APEC’s work on safe passage this year.
"Member economies agreed on a number of initiatives that focus on the interoperability of vaccination certificates and a one-stop information platform for travelers. We also discussed a number of other initiatives including on exploring health technologies, accelerating travel of air and maritime crews and enhancing business mobility," Thani stated.
"We will work to ensure that cross-border travel within APEC remains resilient and crisis-proof, especially as we explore how APEC can take advantage of the vast digital solutions and drives structural changes to improve regional travel for a more resilient and a more responsive future," Thani explained.
Member economies are also considering the Bangkok Goals for the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy, which will outline the measures to achieve ambitious sustainability objectives, including carbon neutrality and net zero greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable trade and investment, environmental conservation and resource efficiency towards zero waste.
"The Bangkok Goals will include recommendations and identify available enablers that will help accelerate our effort to achieve these objectives," Thani concluded.
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