Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends activities of the 26th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Papua New Guinea

In his opening remarks Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill highlighted the theme of the meeting “Harnessing Inclusive Opportunities, Embracing the Digital Future" saying APEC continued to be a leading economic forum in the region. Later, APEC leaders participated in the Dialogue with IMF Chief Christine Lagard discussing opportunities and challenges facing the regional and the global economy and ways to promote sustainable, inclusive growth in the digital era.

Addressing the Dialogue, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said APEC needs to work closely with multilateral forums, particularly with the IMF, to boost economic connectivity, strengthen global economic-financial governance, and strengthen inclusive growth and innovation.

APEC leaders held a session on “Connectivity for inclusive growth through digital future” and adopted an Action Program on Digital Economy. The pledged to accelerate the realization of Bogor Goals by 2020 and the APEC Connectivity Master Plan by 2025 and focus on policy exchanges, trade facilitation, people-to-people exchanges, and connectivity between sub-regions, rural and remote areas.

Speaking at the function, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stressed the need to narrow gap between APEC economies, integrate the new APEC Agenda on restructuring into the Agenda of member countries to ensure innovation benefit the economy, the public and enterprises, and promote cross-border e-commerce, cyber economy, and digital economy. Mr. Phuc said APEC needs to play a role in promoting regional and global connectivity and ruled based, open, transparent, and equal multilateral trade with the WTO playing the central role. He urged APEC to increase cooperation with ASEAN, G20, ASEM, and aligned organizations in Africa and Latin America. Prime Minister Phuc informed the session of Vietnam’s ratification of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership on November 12 saying it’s a step for Vietnam to further penetrate into the global value chain. He said during its 20 years in APEC, Vietnam has introduced several initiatives and contributed to the development of APEC.

Also on Sunday, APEC leaders held a session on promoting inclusive growth in the digital era where they pledged to promote sustainable, inclusive growth and put the people in the center of all policies and accelerate the 2017 APEC Action Program on inclusive economy, finance, and society until 2030 in a close link with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

In his address, Prime Minister Phuc said APEC members need to take advantage of the digital era and focus on vulnerable people, particularly women, girl children, and the disabled. He said APEC needs to play a role in responding to global challenges, particularly food security. He said Vietnam is promoting an enabling government for development focusing on sustainable, inclusive growth, entrepreneurship, dynamism, creativity, social security, and environmental protection. Vietnam has developed a National Strategy on the 4^th Industrial Revolution and will work with APEC members towards building a community with dynamic economic growth, social inclusiveness, security stability, and focusing on the people and enterprises.