Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son has written an article hailing the success of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Year 2017. 

Son, who is also Deputy Chairman of the APEC National Committee 2017 and Chairman of the APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting 2017, said the APEC Leaders’ Week was one of the important diplomatic events hosted by the country between now and 2025, gathering leaders of 21 Asia-Pacific economies. 

It was the second time the country had hosted the event, making it one of the youngest members in the forum to be entrusted with the mission. 

In order to prepare for the APEC Year, an inter-sectoral working group on APEC Year 2017 was founded in August 2014 and based in the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry. On July 16, 2015, the APEC National Committee 2017 led by Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh was formally born with the participation of 26 leaders of ministries, agencies and localities. 

Agencies from central to local levels, business community, scholars, armed forces and people nationwide also joined preparations for the event, which proved the Party and State’s determination to accomplish key diplomatic goals of the 12th National Party Congress. 

Hosting the APEC Year 2017, Vietnam was also the first country to welcome Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping right after the 19th Congress of the Communist Party of China, and US President Donald Trump in his first year of office. 

On the occasion, the country also established comprehensive partnership with Canada, held nearly 50 meetings and exchanges with leaders of APEC member states to continue upgrading bilateral ties. 

Foreign friends also praised outstanding activities during the APEC Year 2017 hosted by 10 cities and provinces nationwide, which afforded them a chance to learn about local culture, people and specialties in the country. 

As many as 20 documents were adopted during the year, eight of them were approved during the APEC Leaders’ Week, reflecting APEC member states’ efforts to become a vanguard mechanism in promoting the achievements of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

In particular, the Da Nang Declaration on promoting free and open trade and investment and supporting multilateral trade reaffirmed APEC’s key role as growth dynamism that initiates economic connectivity initiatives and a leading economic cooperation mechanism in the region. 

The contents of the above documents also help realise Vietnam’s socio-economic development strategy for 2011-2020. 

During the event, Vietnam held a dialogue between APEC leaders and ASEAN for the first time, thereby facilitating collaboration between the two mechanisms to create a new driving force for regional growth and connectivity. Vietnam was also the first host country to be invited by G-20 to join all activities during the year. 

The APEC National Secretariat 2017 cooperated with foreign organisations and APEC partners to hold over 40 information and training courses with more than 1,000 cadres, reporters and volunteers taking part. 

Tens of thousands of articles written at home and abroad on the APEC Year 2017 introduced practical benefits of APEC collaboration to businesses and people in the region. 

A key factor of the success of the APEC Year 2017 was the active participation of business community. Firms successfully hosted the APEC Business Summit and Vietnam Business Summit while 40 others sponsored the APEC Year 2017 with the total funding five-fold higher than that for APEC Year 2006.-VNA