Outcomes & Outlook
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APEC Outcomes & Outlook 2013 • 2014 Contents 1 Introduction 2 APEC Member Economies 4 Outcomes: APEC Indonesia 2013 10 Bali Declaration: Resilient Asia-Pacific, Engine of Global Growth 18 Annex A: APEC Framework on Connectivity 20 Annex B: APEC Multi-Year Plan on Infrastructure Development and Investment 30 Supporting the Multilateral Trading System and the 9th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization 32 Outlook: APEC China 2014 37 Key Meetings in 2014 38 APEC Milestones 40 About APEC 46 Key Contacts Introduction APEC 2013 saw a fragile economic recovery and people-to-people connectivity in the will pursue its agenda through three key priorities with marginal trade growth in the region. Many region. In particular, APEC endorsed a multi- during 2014: Advancing Regional Cooperation, APEC economies were impacted by reduced year plan on infrastructure development and Promoting Innovative Development, Economic export demand and sudden capital outflows in investment. As a first step under this plan, a Reform and Growth, and Strengthening the latter half of the year. The economic outlook Public Private Partnership Centre in Indonesia Comprehensive Connectivity and Infrastructure ahead suggests growth is likely to be slower will be established. An interim assessment of Development. and less balanced than desired. In this context, the Supply Chain Connectivity Framework was APEC members are working to strengthen conducted in 2013 and APEC is focusing on With the 25th anniversary of APEC and the and sustain the region’s economic recovery by capacity building activities to address all eight 20th anniversary of the Bogor Goals in 2014, boosting domestic-driven growth, ensuring fiscal supply chain chokepoints. APEC continued to APEC will continue its core mission towards sustainability and building human capacity, as achieve progress on structural reform, making it building a dynamic and harmonious Asia-Pacific well as traditional trade-led growth. easier to do business, and streamlining customs community, promoting and accelerating regional procedures. To encourage people-to-people economic integration, encouraging economic Throughout 2013 under Indonesia’s stewardship, connectivity, APEC is promoting cross-border and technical cooperation, enhancing human APEC economies focused on enhancing Asia- education cooperation with the target of 1 security, and facilitating a favourable and Pacific’s resilience as an engine of global growth. million intra-APEC university level students per sustainable business environment. In October in Bali, APEC Leaders agreed to take year by 2020. In addition to expanding the APEC concrete steps in three priority areas: Attaining Business Travel Card, APEC is also innovating APEC in 2014 will address some of the significant the Bogor Goals, Promoting Connectivity, and ways to facilitate growing tourism travel in the developments in the Asia-Pacific. In response Sustainable Growth with Equity. region. to the changing global context of growing environmental pressure, a rapidly expanding Almost twenty years ago, APEC Leaders Sustainable growth with equity was another middle class, and increasing wealth gaps in established the Bogor Goals in Indonesia in important priority for APEC in 2013. Small the region, APEC intends to focus on innovative 1994. This year, APEC Leaders met in Bali, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the development, economic reform and growth in Indonesia to continue their work toward free backbone of the Asia-Pacific economy and a 2014. Finally, to facilitate economic recovery, trade and investment liberalization by 2020 and number of initiatives focused on increasing APEC will continue its work on connectivity and to advance steps towards a Free Trade Area of their competitiveness in the global value chain infrastructure development as an important new the Asia Pacific. In 2014, at the 20th anniversary as well as their resilience to natural disasters. area of growth for the Asia-Pacific region. mark, APEC plans to review its progress towards APEC worked on policies to empower women achieving the Bogor Goals. APEC Leaders also in the economy including access to information APEC Indonesia, member economies and APEC reaffirmed their commitment to the rules-based technologies and stimulating women fora have worked to achieve these outcomes multilateral trading system and worked toward entrepreneurship. APEC also focused on a in 2013 and we all look forward to another achieving the successful Doha Round outcome number of cross-cutting issues from sustainable productive year in 2014. at the World Trade Organization (WTO) 9th energy and oceans to food security. Ministerial Conference where the Bali Package was subsequently announced. Looking ahead to 2014 and recognizing that traditional growth patterns are changing, China Dr Alan Bollard APEC accomplished key steps in 2013 toward will host APEC under the theme of “Shaping the Executive Director ensuring seamless physical, institutional, Future through Asia-Pacific Partnership.” APEC APEC Secretariat 1 Outcomes Resilient Asia-Pacific, Engine of Global Growth This year, Indonesia hosted APEC almost twenty years after the Bogor Goals were established there in 1994. The 21st APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting 2013 was held on the island of Bali, Indonesia. Given the fragile global economic recovery, the key challenge for APEC economies was to ensure the Asia-Pacific economy remained a resilient engine of growth. As a result, in 2013, APEC focused on the following key priorities: attaining the Bogor Goals, promoting connectivity, and achieving sustainable growth with equity. 4 Outcomes I. Attaining the Bogor Goals Key Outcomes: Ensuring green growth: APEC members endorsed also implemented the Action Plan on Statistics By promoting regional economic integration the Proposal on Capacity-Building Activities to on Trade in Services to improve statistical and trade and investment liberalization, Assist Implementation of APEC’s Environmental data collection on services, recognizing that APEC continued work to achieve sustainable, Goods List Commitments. The APEC Public- the importance of services is not adequately balanced, inclusive, and innovative growth in the Private Partnership on Environmental Goods and reflected in international trade statistics. APEC Asia-Pacific region and to advance steps toward Services was also established as a platform for continues to work in synergy with ABAC in a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific. Member enhanced dialogue in this sector. APEC members strengthening collaboration to advance works in economies continued work toward attaining will also explore trade in products that contribute trade in services. the Bogor Goals. In 2014, APEC will review its to sustainable and inclusive growth through rural progress in reaching the Bogor Goals. APEC also development and poverty alleviation. Aligning regulatory procedures: As an important reaffirmed its commitment to the rules-based step, APEC established an Innovative Center of multilateral trading system and the World Trade Promoting trade-enhancing ways to stimulate Excellence for the evaluation of multi-regional Organization (WTO). job growth and competitiveness: Members clinical trials, which will strengthen regulatory welcomed the APEC Best Practices to Create procedures for medical products according to Jobs and Increase Competitiveness as part of international best practices. the work on local content requirements. Exploring a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific Enhancing trade in services: The APEC Services (FTAAP): APEC advanced the Regional Economic Trade Access Requirements (STAR) Database Integration (REI) Capacity-building Needs was expanded as an important tool for business Initiative (CBNI) Action Plan Framework to help in accessing new services export markets. APEC make FTAAP a reality one day. 5 Outcomes II. Promoting Connectivity Key Outcomes: Promoting infrastructure development and Business Working Group was established to Recognizing the importance of seamless investment: APEC endorsed the multi-year plan enhance collaboration with the private sector physical, institutional, and people-to-people on infrastructure development and investment. on customs-related issues. APEC also continued connectivity as prerequisites to attaining the As a first step under this plan, APEC agreed to build capacity for implementing Authorized Bogor Goals, APEC welcomed the progress made to establish an APEC Experts Advisory Panel Economic Operator (AEO) programs throughout in promoting connectivity in 2013, and submitted and a pilot Public Private Partnership Centre in the APEC region. the strategic and long-term APEC Framework on Indonesia. Connectivity. Promoting cross border education cooperation: Improving supply chain performance: A 2013 As a follow up to the 2012 APEC Leaders’ The Framework embodies APEC’s long term interim assessment of the Supply Chain mandate to promote cross-border education, commitment to accelerate its connectivity within Connectivity Framework Action was conducted. APEC committed to implement and develop its three pillars namely physical, institutional APEC endorsed policy recommendations for all activities in the Work Plan on Promoting Cross- and people-to-people. To implement the eight supply chain chokepoints and will begin Border Education Cooperation to pursue the framework, Leaders agreed that a connectivity drafting diagnostic reports and targeted capacity 2013 vision of 1 million intra-APEC university- framework will