APEC ASC Consortium Conference Opens in TianjinChinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. Wang said APEC 2001 is the first gathering of APEC family in the 21st century, and China is committed to making use of this historical opportunity to advance APEC process. On the basis of consultations, China has identified this year's theme, "Meeting NEW Challenges in the New Century: Achieving Common Prosperity through Participation and Cooperation." He listed three sub-themes, which are: "Sharing the Benefits of Globalization and the New Economy; Advancing Trade and Investment; and Promoting Sustainable Economic Growth." "Relevant work is under way", he noted. He pointed out that the goal cannot be reached without the support and participation of the public. Therefore, a series of reach-out programs and activities will be conducted this year. "Among others, the current Consortium is the most prominent one," he noted. ASCs, established as part of the APEC Leaders' Education Initiative in 1993, have become the most important think tanks to APEC, he said. With the best universities, research centers of academic excellence, the ASC Consortium has promoted cooperation in higher education and advanced research, and facilitate cultural and intellectual exchanges in the Asia-Pacific region, Wang said. He also pointed out that the consortium also assisted the APEC process by undertaking advanced, collaborative, interdisciplinary and policy-related research on issues important to APEC from an independent and longer-term perspective. Also addressing the opening ceremony, Mario Artaza, APEC secretariat representative, said China is one of the most active participants in APEC programs and activities, and the themes of APEC meetings this year have been worked out. He hoped that under the concerted efforts by all APEC members, the APEC process could move forward. The theme of the two-day conference is: "APEC: Heading towards New Century and Bright Future". Nearly 100 experts and scholars from the study centers of 20 APEC members are attending the meeting, who have submitted 26 papers. Their discussions cover a wide range of topics, such as relations between human capacity building and the development of economic and technological cooperation, how APEC can meet the challenges of globalization and new economy, sub-regional trade agreements and APEC, multilateral trade system, participation of APEC activities by small- and medium-sized enterprises, and supervision of finance institutes. The ASC is an academic organization majoring in studying APEC issues by APEC members. It concentrates itself on policy consultancy for APEC member governments, latest economic development of APEC members, follow-up analysis and study on the reform of trade and investment policies. An ASC consortium conference of APEC members is held annually in the first half of the year by its host to strengthen their exchanges and discuss the latest progress in all important APEC activities. This year's meeting is to be jointly held by the APEC Study Center at Nankai University and TEDA. The APEC Study Center at Nankai University was set up in March 1995, and it organizes and coordinates national APEC studies of China, provides consultancy for Chinese government, and conduct academic exchanges with other APEC members. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |
