APEC senior officials discuss inclusive, sustainable economic recovery

BANGKOK, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) wrapped up a two-day meeting here Wednesday in which they discussed trade promotion, regional reconnection and sustainable growth.

During the third APEC Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) Plenary, delegates from the member economies had refreshed conversations on APEC priorities this year, such as the Free Trade Area of the Asia- Pacific (FTAAP) in the post-pandemic context, safe and seamless cross-border travel and the bio-circular-green (BCG) economy model, said Thani Thongphakdi, permanent secretary for foreign affairs of Thailand and APEC 2022 SOM chair.

Economies started the development of the FTAAP work plan aimed at narrowing the development gaps between members through sharing knowledge and technologies, Thani said, adding that the plan will be submitted to the APEC Ministerial Meeting in November.

The participants also discussed proposals to facilitate smoother travel and help boost tourism recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the host of APEC 2022, Thailand also led a discussion on the BCG economy model. Experts highlighted the model as an approach to balancing targeting net zero greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable management of resources and economic growth.