Photo taken on Aug. 29 shows the third Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM 3) of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The third Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM 3) of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) opened here Tuesday, touching upon trade, investment and economic issues among others. (Xinhua/VNA)
HO CHI MINH CITY, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The third Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM 3) of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) opened here Tuesday, touching upon trade, investment and economic issues among others.
The two-day SOM 3 in Ho Chi Minh City was attended by 21 APEC senior officials and nearly 200 delegates from APEC members and international organizations.
Addressing the meeting, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, Chair of SOM APEC 2017, said economies in the Asia-Pacific region are accelerating trade liberalization, investment and inclusive growth, and the meeting would review regional cooperation and make preparation for APEC Economic Leaders' Week in November in the central Da Nang city.
At the meeting, the APEC Business Advisory Council and APEC committees on economy, trade, investment, budget management, and economic and technical cooperation presented outcomes of cooperation in the region in specific spheres.
The outcomes include initiatives and projects on developing human resources, promoting electronic commerce, fostering auxiliary industry, facilitating the realization of Bogor goals, narrowing development gaps, implementing regional trade agreements and free trade agreements, and realizing the Lima Declaration on the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP).
The delegates also discussed preparatory works for upcoming APEC ministerial meetings, including those on small and medium enterprises, transport and forestry.
