President Vo Van Thuong attends APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting

President Thuong said APEC is a leading regional cooperation and connection forum that brings substantive benefits to people.

President Vo Van Thuong attends a retreat meeting of APEC Economic Leaders (Photo: VNA)

Regarding APEC’s operations, the President emphasised maintaining and consolidating important achievements on the liberalisation and facilitation of trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region and the globe, creating cooperation frameworks supporting member economies to take advantage of development opportunities and promote growth momentum, and cooperating to build a self-reliant region, each self-reliant economy, ready to respond to challenges.

President Vo Van Thuong attends the 30th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting (Photo: VNA)

The President stressed that after 25 years of joining APEC, with its desire to continue contributing to the APEC process, Vietnam proposes to host activities of the APEC Year 2027.

APEC leaders highly appreciated and strongly supported Vietnam's proposal, and agreed to add it into the meeting’s joint statement.

At the meeting, delegates evaluated 30 years of APEC cooperation and directions for the new period, and highlighted the forum's important contributions to promoting global economic growth over recent decades.

Regarding trade, investment and connection cooperation, they committed to promoting a free, open, transparent and inclusive trade and investment environment, maintain markets open and resolve supply chain disruptions.

They affirmed to continue supporting the rules-based multilateral trade system with the central role of the World Trade Organisation, underlined the importance of establishing a non-discriminatory digital ecosystem for companies and consumers, and agreed to accelerate the implementation of the Internet economic roadmap/ APEC digital economy.

They also agreed to reduce and eliminate fossil fuel subsidies and accelerate the transition to clean energy to achieve the global goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero.

On the occasion, the meeting approved the major principles on just energy transition and food security in APEC cooperation, the framework and action plan to reduce natural risks, and agreed to speed up the implementation of the biogreen circular economy model and integrate sustainable and inclusive contents in APEC activities.

President Vo Van Thuong, his wife and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation left San Francisco on November 17 evening, concluding their trip to attend the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in the United States.