Enhancing Connectivity and Resolving Bottlenecks
The first pillar addresses the physical and institutional hurdles that impede seamless regional trade. This focus aims to make supply chains more resilient, secure, and efficient.
Supply Chain and Infrastructure: The President urged APEC to tackle major bottlenecks in regional supply chains and infrastructure.
Digitalization and Harmonization: Key solutions include the effective digitalization of customs clearance procedures, upgrading transport, logistics, and information technology (IT) infrastructure, and harmonizing cross-border data and payment regulations.
Narrowing the Gap: A critical goal is to narrow the technological and infrastructural gap between member economies to ensure that all members can participate equitably in integrated regional systems.
Pushing Ahead Trade and Investment Collaboration
The second priority focuses on concretizing APEC’s commitment to a free, open, and rules-based multilateral trading system.
Multilateral Trade Agreements: Vietnam called on the region to promote trade and investment collaboration by fully implementing multilateral trade agreements under the World Trade Organization (WTO), such as the Trade Facilitation Agreement.
Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP): This priority reinforces the collective effort toward realizing the FTAAP, seen as a vital mechanism for deeper regional economic integration.
Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs): The proposal also implicitly supports efforts to reduce non-tariff barriers and foster high-quality trade agreements.
Supporting the Private Sector, Especially SMEs
Recognizing the private sector as the engine of growth, the third priority focuses on equipping businesses, particularly those with fewer resources, to navigate the complexities of the modern economy.
Access to Resources: The President stressed the importance of providing support to the private economic sector, especially SMEs, to improve their access to capital, technology, and markets.
Capacity Building: This support is also crucial for increasing management capacity to help these enterprises adapt and thrive in the digital era and meet evolving market demands.
Microeconomic Foundation: By strengthening the microeconomic foundation and fostering a transparent, favorable business environment, APEC can ensure its growth remains inclusive and robust.
Vietnam's proactive stance at APEC 2025 comes as the country prepares to host the APEC Summit in 2027, demonstrating its commitment to shaping the forum's long-term agenda centered on "Connectivity, Innovation, and Prosperity."