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PECC Symposium calls for action to boost Asia-Pacific connectivity process

By Chen Te'an (People's Daily Online)    11:22, September 29, 2016

Some 150 thought leaders from the Asia-Pacific region gathered in Yangzhou on Sept. 27 for an international symposium organized by the China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (CNCPEC). One objective of the symposium was to discuss how regional integration efforts must facilitate physical, institutional and people-to-people connectivity. An important consensus was that action is the key to connecting the connectivity initiatives across the Pacific and to connecting the three pillars of connectivity.

“Through connectivity, people can create better market access, more business transactions, more convenient logistics, lower transaction costs, freer human mobility and greater ease in doing business,” said Huang Mengfu in his keynote speech. Huang is Vice Chair of the 10th and 11th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Honorary Chair of the CNCPEC.

Noting that the Asia-Pacific region is not short of connectivity projects, Huang also said that without a platform or connecting mechanism, “The potential of individual connectivity projects is limited, and the whole region will be hard-pressed to effectively promote connectivity.”

Highlighting the significance of connectivity and its cross-cutting nature, Tan Jian, China’s Senior Official for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) recommended that connectivity be placed higher on APEC agenda as the target date of Bogor Goals draws near. He urged relevant economies to mobilize themselves, take ownership and seek synergy in promoting connectivity. He reiterated the Silk Road Spirit and called for win-win cooperation to build up momentum and implementthe APEC Connectivity Blueprint.

“The main core of connectivity development in the Asia-Pacific region is based on sub-regional and national initiatives. The main task for … the next 10 years is to create links that join these initiatives. To undertake this endeavor, it is also very important to give priority to the ‘seamless’ aspect of connectivity: the compatibility between different initiatives,” said Gonzalo Gutierrez, former foreign minister of Peru. Gutierrez continued, “An initiative that could help the freer and faster flow of information may be the establishment of a real time platform where economies and [individual] users have direct access to the information on the most recent decisions by different countries or groups of countries regarding physical, institutional and people-to-people connectivity.”

APEC economic leaders approved the APEC Connectivity Framework in Bali in 2013, pledging to “reach a seamlessly and comprehensively connected and integrated Asia-Pacific through the pillars of physical connectivity, institutional connectivity and people-to-people connectivity.” The 2014 Beijing APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting endorsed the APEC Connectivity Blueprint for 2015-2025, which calls on APEC economies to take coordinated action and meet agreed upon targets to strengthen connectivity by 2025. Similarly, ASEAN formulated its Master Plan on Connectivity 2025 and the Pacific Alliance has also undertaken a number of connectivity-related initiatives.

Echoing Huang Mengfu’s proposals of raising awareness, establishing platform, innovating financing mechanism, etc., Amb. Tang Guoqiang, Co-Chair of PECC and Chair of CNCPEC advocated that “Connectivity should be one of the pillars for regional economic cooperation beyond 2020,” with a view to realizing regional economic integration, revitalizing the economy and promoting long-term inclusive growth and sustainable development.

It was against this backdrop that the PECC held its symposium, “Connecting the Connectivities in the Asia-Pacific,” on Sept. 27, organized by CNCPEC with the support of the Yangzhou government, the APEC Study Center of Nankai University and the World Canal Cities Organization (WCCO).

Ambassador Don Campbell, Co-Chair of PECC, remarked at the symposium’s closing, "The three connectivity pillars cannot be kept in silos; we need to look at their convergence with a holistic view."

“One of the ways in which PECC could add value to this collective regional effort is perhaps by coming up with a mechanism to measure and evaluate how we are making progress in the key areas of connectivity such as finance, infrastructure, institutions and regulations, people-to-people mobility - education and skilled labor – among others,” he added.

(For the latest China news, Please follow People's Daily on Twitter and Facebook)(Web editor: Wu Chengliang, Bianji)

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