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DGT to attend APEC meeting in Manila

The Director-General of Trade, Mr Alan Lai, will depart for Manila, the Philippines, tomorrow (Wednesday) to attend the fourth senior officials meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) scheduled to take place from October 18 to 20.

Mr Lai will lead a delegation comprising officials from the Trade and Industry Branch, the Finance Branch, the Financial Services Branch, the Industry, the Government Supplies, the Customs and Excise and the Trade departments as well as the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Singapore,

A major theme of the meeting is the continuation of the progress review of the implementation of the Osaka Action Agenda (OAA) which is the template for APEC work towards the goal of free and open trade and investment in the APEC region by 2010/2020 for industrialised and developing economies respectively.

QAA also strives to achieve sustainable growth and equitable development within APEC through intensified development co-operation.

At the last senior officials meeting in August, most of the APEC member economies presented their revised individual action plans (IAPS) for implementing part one of OAA. It is expected that further improved versions of IAPS will emerge at the present meeting.

The progress on the collective action plans (CAPS) prepared by lead economies in respect of the programme areas under part one of OAA, and the progress of joint activities on economic and technical co-operation which constitute part two of OAA will also be reviewed.

In addition, the meeting will discuss the preparations for the first World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference to be held in Singapore in December.

There will be a briefing on the report prepared by the APEC Business Advisory Council which was established in June to provide business input to the APEC process.

The fourth senior officials meeting will be preceded by a series of meetings including those of the expert group on mutual recognition arrangements on food products, the Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures, the Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance, the Economic Committee, and the Committee on Trade and Investment as well as a government procurement seminar to be chaired by Hong Kong.