APEC annual meeting approves final declaration

Leaders of the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies concluded their 25th annual meeting in Da Nang, Vietnam, on 11 November. The Da Nang Declaration, entitled “Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future,” reaffirms APEC’s mission of supporting sustainable economic growth and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific. It invites members to take action in several fields, including fostering regional economic integration; ensuring “quality” growth; preparing workers for changes wrought by the digital age; and developing an “inclusive, accessible, sustainable, healthy, and resilient APEC community by 2030,” referring to the UN’s Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. It also devotes several paragraphs to different aspects of international trade. It reiterates past pledges to support open trade, and recognises the importance of the multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization (WTO).