Members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) pledged to further their cooperation at the APEC Concluding Senior Officials' Meeting (CSOM) held in Singapore on Saturday.
Convened by Chile, the host of APEC 2019, the CSOM summarized the fruitful achievements of APEC Chile year in 2019 and rolled out roadmaps ahead for continued actions.
According to Chinese APEC senior official Lu Mei who is also the head of the Chinese delegation, the CSOM summarized the work throughout the year of 2019, and endorsed a number of initiatives and outcomes on various fields, including "regional economic integration, digital economy, connectivity, women and inclusive development, and marine environment."
Members also appreciated Chile's efforts in hosting the APEC 2019 and promoting APEC cooperation, and pledged to join in the efforts to implement the projects and deliverables achieved in the APEC Chile year, she added.
During the CSOM, Chile issued the 2019 APEC Host Economy Leader's Statement, which officially marks the end of the APEC Chile year. The statement speaks highly of the achievements that APEC has made over the past 30 years since its establishment. It also reiterates that APEC is committed to promoting free and open trade and investment, strengthening multilateral cooperation and rules-based international trade, and continuously advancing cooperation on connectivity, digital economy, regional economic integration, and the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific.
The statement welcomes the report on the Post-2020 Vision submitted by the APEC Vision Group and looks forward to the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia in 2020.
As an important member of the Asia-Pacific community, China attaches great importance to APEC and has long been deeply engaged in APEC cooperation in various areas with great contributions, Lu said.
China is fully committed to APEC cooperation and "will continue to uphold the spirit of the Asia-Pacific community and partnership, promote multilateralism, stick to the mission and principles of APEC cooperation, maintain the momentum of APEC cooperation," the Chinese official said.
APEC will continue to play an important role in the Asia-Pacific as well as in the global economic cooperation for the mutual benefit and the common development of the Asia-Pacific community, she added.
At the meeting held at the APEC Secretariat in Singapore, Chile presented three roadmaps for collective action which are agreed to by member economies during the year on key issues for regional prosperity: women's economic empowerment, marine debris, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
"In a time where the needs of our people are evolving, multilateral and regional fora such as APEC can provide inclusive and sustainable solutions and create new opportunities for all our people," said Mathias Francke, 2019 chair of APEC Senior Officials.
