Vietnam to Officially Start APEC Next Week

Vietnam is actively preparing to start the APEC year by organizing the first Senior Official Meeting (SOM I) next week, said Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan at the press conference on February 15 to introduce the APEC year to international community.

 

The SOM I, which will start next Monday with the participation of more than 800 delegates, will have around 40 relevant gatherings with various topics including e-Government, e-trade, food safety, environment, structural reform, anti-corruption, public policy and intellectual property for small and medium enterprises.

 

Khoan, Head of National Committee for APEC, expressed that he believed the SOM I will run smoothly to create a dynamic environment for next three SOM’s including more than 100 important activities leading up to November.

 

Vietnam will welcome around 10,000 guests during the Summit Week from November 12-19, including 1,500 Americans and especially President Bush, who will pay a bilateral visit on the occasion. Also, three or more other delegations from Asia and Latin America are expected to have bilateral meetings with Vietnam

 

Khoan released that a "shortage of hotels is one of our major headaches.” However, he added that the country will make the utmost effort to ensure the APEC year will be successful.

 

Regarding the security issue, the top leader affirmed that Vietnam will join hands with foreign partners to carefully safeguard all activities. Vietnam has always been considered a top safe destination for international summits.

 

The APEC year with the theme of "Towards a Dynamic Community for Sustainable Development and Prosperity," Khoan noted, is very important for the future of APEC as it is the first year of implementing the Busan roadmap to realize Bogor goals on free trade and investment.

 

Founded in November 1989, APEC now has 21 member economies including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam. The group accounts for more than a third of the world's population, nearly 60 percent of the world's gross domestic product (GDP), and about 47 percent of world trade.

 

Vietnam joined the organization at the APEC Foreign-Economic Ministers Meeting in November 1998.