The 13th General Conference of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) Concluded in Manila on October 23 after issuing a statement concerning the development of the Asia-Pacific economy in the 21st century.

　 Key issues discussed during the three-day meeting included a new global economic architecture, challenges of governance and leadership, infrastructure and the information revolution, sustainable cities and inter-regional cooperation.

　 In its "PECC '99 Statement," the PECC said it will continue to promote regional economic cooperation to achieve greater prosperity for people in the Asia Pacific region.

　 The statement also stressed the importance of well-functioning markets and effective regulatory institutions to healthy economic development.

　 The meeting was held at a crucial time in both the Asia-Pacific region and the rest of the world, as it took place just after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in New Zealand and before the World Trade Organization's November meeting in Seattle, the United States.

　 About 700 delegates from 23 PECC members and international organizations attended the conference.

　 The PECC is a unique partnership of senior individuals from business, governments and research, who work in a non-official capacity, on practical policy issues to increase trade, investment and economic development in the Asia-Pacific region.

　 The PECC members, among others, include China, the United States, Japan, Australia, Thailand, Peru, Russia and China's Taipei and Hong Kong.

　 Ecuador was accepted as a new member of the PECC during the meeting and the organization's next general conference will be held in 2001 in Hong Kong, China.