APEC MRT Meeting Achieved Positive Results: MOFTEC MinisterThe APEC members should take practical action to push forward the process of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation (TILF) as well as economic and technical cooperation in the 21st century.This was the common understanding of the APEC Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT), said Shi Guangsheng, chair of the APEC MRT and Chinese minister of foreign trade and economic cooperation, at a news briefing shortly after the closing of the APEC MRT meeting Thursday afternoon. The meeting achieved positive results, Shi stated. Participants of the MRT meeting have reached consensus on a wide-range of issues related to the new round of WTO multilateral talks, TILF, economic and technical cooperation, new economy and e- commerce, Shi explained. Delegates of APEC economies reiterated their firm support for the multilateral trade system and urged the new round of WTO negotiations to be launched within the year 2001. They are also supportive of China's accession into the WTO within this year. Preliminary Plans for Individual Action Plan (IAP) Improvement in 2001, submitted by member economies, as well as the APEC Principles on Trade Facilitation and the 2001 Forecast on Possible TILF Deliverables, were approved at the meeting. The meeting agreed that APEC member economies should perform actively to deal with the challenges derived from the new economy and accelerate the establishment of a visionary e-APEC strategy for building a digital society within APEC. The APEC MRT meeting further promoted the progress of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation and laid a foundation for the smooth convening of the APEC Leaders Informal Meeting scheduled for October, Shi stressed. Leaders of the delegations of 21 APEC member economies to the MRT attended the news briefing and answered questions from the press. |
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