APEC Leaders Hold Dialogue with ABAC

APEC leaders Wednesday held their annual dialogue with the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), a permanent private sector body established by the leaders in November 1995 to advise them on issues of importance to business in the region.

The ABAC provides an independent business perspective within the APEC process, on both progress made by APEC in its trade and investment liberalization agenda and on its future work to improve the regional business environment.

Leaders of the 21 member economies are here to attend their 8th annual informal meeting.

Before the dialogue, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah greeted the leaders at the International Convention Center here and briefed them on the program for their meeting.

The sultan indicated that the intended focus of Thursday morning's discussions will be on "Managing Globalization" and that if the leaders wish to bring up the issue of oil prices, they could do so during this session.

The discussions on Thursday afternoon would concentrate on the World Trade Organization and other trading arrangements.

China will brief the leaders on its chairmanship of APEC and its approach to the APEC agenda in 2001.



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