The successful organisation of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum 2017 creates a new milestone in the process of international integration of Vietnam and demonstrates the country’s strategic vision toward the region, President Tran Dai Quang said at a ceremony to review the APEC Year 2017 in Hanoi on November 27.

President Tran Dai Quang

The APEC Year 2017, especially the 25th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in the central coastal city of Da Nang in November, has been successful in all aspects, turning Vietnam into a center of the global attention, the President said.

The participation of leaders from APEC member economies along with over 11,000 delegates, businesspeople and reporters at home and abroad illustrated the special attention of the region and the world to Vietnam and APEC in general, he said.

Leaders of APEC member economies highly appreciated the role of Vietnam in leading and creating a new momentum for the regional shared future of peace, stability and prosperity as well as affirmed the role of APEC in global economic administration.

The President described the success of the APEC 2017 as a remarkable external achievement of the Vietnamese Party, people and army, which contributes to increasing the role of APEC as a leading regional economic cooperation mechanism.

With historical milestones, the APEC Year 2017 has helped increase the position of Vietnam and affirm the country’s contributions to forming multilateral mechanisms to realise the common goals of building an Asia-Pacific region of peace, stability, dynamism, connectivity and prosperity.

Achievements gained in the APEC Year 2017 are vivid evidence of the victory of free and open trade and multilateral trade systems, creating a brighter future for the world’s economy.

They also demonstrate the right external policies of extensive and intensive international integration of the Party and State, which have been defined at the 12th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Party Central Committee resolutions.

The success of APEC 2017 also laid a foundation to increase the bilateral relations between Vietnam and partners, proven by dozens of bilateral talks and meetings, including historical ones.

Vietnam has made active contributions to the formation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), through which promoting regional economic connectivity.

According to Vietnam’s initiative, leaders of APEC member economies held talks with ASEAN leaders for the first time to coordinate to build a sustainable, transparent and highly adaptive regional economic architecture.

All relevant activities took place safely across localities from the north to the south such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Ninh, Ninh Binh, Nghe An, Thua Thien-Hue, Khanh Hoa, Can Tho, and Da Nang, President Quang noted.

He highly valued the Vietnamese business community for actively engaging in APEC activities, especially the APEC Business Summit and the Vietnam Business Summit. 

The President recognised the whole country’s efforts to make the APEC Year 2017 a great success.

To promote the achievements gained in the APEC Year 2017, the President suggested enhancing cooperation in the fields that Vietnam has proposed and adopted by APEC member economies, focusing on inclusive economic, financial and social development, developing human resources in the digital era, and strengthening food security in response to climate change.

Added to this are developing rural and urban areas, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, facilitating cross-border e-commerce and infrastructure improvement, and developing the support industry and sustainable tourism.-VNA