APEC Senior Officials Appreciate China's Leading RoleSenior officials from 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Wednesday expressed deep appreciation for the leading role China has played in hosting the APEC Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) successfully.They expressed their confidence at a retreat here one day before the formal meeting of the APEC SOM III that APEC 2001 will lay a solid foundation for APEC's future direction in the new century. The officials agreed that before October, the focus should be on enhancing APEC member economies' joint efforts towards the Bogor Goals, under which developed and developing economies will realize trade and investment liberalization in 2010 and 2020 respectively. The officials recognized that it is important for APEC to draw a roadmap for the new century in meeting the changing economic environment in the region brought by globalization. They shared the common view that APEC should take a strategic, forward-looking approach in responding to the current economic outlook, while maintaining a balance of interests of member economies and preserving the integrity of APEC principles. In light of the upcoming APEC Ministerial Meeting and the Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shanghai in October, senior officials focused their discussion on the possible major outcomes for APEC 2001, both in terms of what actually can be delivered and key elements of the final documents. They reviewed the progress achieved since the beginning of the year, and reaffirmed their strong intention to finalize various aspects on the agenda leading up to Shanghai. They agreed to work closely in this regard. Senior officials further agreed to continue discussions to wrap up the substantive work that needs to be done before the October meeting. The formal meeting of SOM III will be held here Thursday. Prior to the retreat, various committees and forums of APEC SOM discussed the specific work of APEC in their respective fields at the SOM-related meetings held from August 16 to 21. |
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