APEC Ministerial Meeting Goes on Smoothly: OfficialWang Guangya, vice minister of foreign affairs of China, said here Wednesday evening that the 13th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is progressing smoothly.Participants in the two-day meeting that opened Wednesday morning have discussed most of the meeting's important topics, said Wang, who is also secretary-general of the China Secretariat for APEC 2001, at a press conference. He said that Wednesday's ministerial meeting mainly discussed the topics regarding strengthening of multilateral trade system, trade and investment liberalization, human capacity building, and economic and technical cooperation. All representatives from APEC member economies expressed the hope to enhance cooperation through the mechanism of APEC meetings, the official said. In response to the global economic slowdown, Wang said, participants stressed the need to cooperate more closely in strengthening multilateral trade system and said that they would push for the launch of a new round of World Trade Organization talks at an earliest date. Wang said that participants also expressed their determination to act earnestly in accordance with the Bogor Goals and fulfill their due duties. At Wednesday's meeting, participants reiterated the importance to strengthen the capacity building of human resources and expressed their intention to enhance cooperation. They also reiterated that economic and technical cooperation is one of the two pillars of the APEC and endorsed the progress APEC members have made in this regard, Wang said. The ministerial meeting kicked off an economic and technical cooperation action plan, which encourages APEC member economies to further strengthen cooperation in the field on a voluntary basis. |
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