APEC officials head to ISOM in Ha Noi

Senior officials from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies will gather at the Informal Senior Officials Meeting (ISOM) in Ha Noi on December 9 to discuss priorities and key activities for the APEC 2017, to be hosted by Viet Nam.
The priorities of the APEC 2017 include creating new momentum for the future of the Asia-Pacific, promoting sustainable and creative growth, the role of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSEMs) and their competitiveness and capacity for creativity in the digital era and enhancing food security and sustainable agriculture and in a way that is adapted to climate change, said a representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at a press briefing on December 5.
A dialogue between APEC and businesses will be held on the sidelines of the ISOM with the theme of creating new momentum to promote APEC’s growth and connection as a Vietnamese initiative.
Viet Nam’s first international conference on its hosting of the APEC 2017 summit is scheduled to be held later in the day.
Around 200 events, conferences and workshops will be held across the country within the framework of APEC 2017.
Established in 1989, APEC comprises 21 economies, namely Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Viet Nam.
Viet Nam joined APEC in 1998—an important milestone for Viet Nam in implementing its external policy of diversification and multilateralisation. Viet Nam successfully hosted APEC 14 in 2006, which laid a foundation for the Asia-Pacific Free Trade areas and adopted the Ha Noi Action Plan to implement the Bogor goals and initiatives to improve cooperation within APEC..