Hanoi (VNA) – The success of theAPEC Economic Leaders’ Week 2017 in the central coastal city of Da Nang fromNovember 6-11 has turned Vietnam into a centre of the world’s attention,according to President Tran Dai Quang.

This is an outstanding external achievement ofVietnam this year, which contributes to increasing the role of APEC as aleading regional economic cooperation mechanism in a rapidly changing world, aswell as marking a new milestone in Vietnam’s implementation of externalpolicies of multilateralism and international integration to foster peace,cooperation and development and increase the country’s position in the globalarena, he wrote in an article.

Such achievements gained in APEC Year 2017 willcreate momentum for Vietnam to accomplish major tasks in the years to come,including candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations SecurityCouncil for 2020-2021 and Chair of ASEAN in 2020, he said.

“It could be said that the recent APEC EconomicLeaders’ Week has turned Vietnam into a centre of attention of the world,” hewrote, adding that all leaders of APEC member economies such as the US, China,Russia and Japan gathered at the event in Da Nang along with more than 11,000delegates, businesspeople, and reporters.

Nearly 100 bilateral meetings between APECleaders took place on this occasion, demonstrating the increasing position ofthe Asian-Pacific region in the global political-economic map as well as thestrong commitments of member economies to APEC cooperation, he noted.

It also affirms the position of Vietnam in theregion and the special attention of other APEC member economies and leaders tothe Southeast Asian country, he said.

A record number of more than 4,000 businessesparticipating in the events illustrated the entrepreneurial spirit of APEC andaffirmed the forum is for people and enterprises, which opens up new prospectsfor investment, trade and business growth in Vietnam and Asia-Pacific, headded.

With the adoption of eight documents at the APECEconomic Leaders’ Week 2017, including the Da Nang Declaration “Creating NewDynamism, Fostering a Shared Future”, Vietnam once again made a milestone inAPEC cooperation, the President stressed.

The week made significant contributions todeepening relations between member economies and Vietnam with historicalbilateral meetings, including the first State-level visit to Vietnam by GeneralSecretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and President Xi Jinping afterthe 19th Congress of the CPC, and the first State visit to Vietnam by USPresident Donald Trump. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet Jeria  alsopaid a State visit to Vietnam while Canadian Prime Minister JustinTrudeau made an official visit to Vietnam.

During the week, Vietnamese leaders had nearly50 bilateral meetings with partners.

This is the second time Vietnam has played thehost to the APEC year and fulfilled all set targets. The APEC Economic Leaders’Week also brought benefits to the country’s socio-economic development with atotal of 121 signed cooperation agreements and contracts worth nearly 20billion USD, 10 times more than in 2006 – the first time Vietnam hosted theforum.

This is also an occasion for Vietnam tointroduce to international friends a country with a dynamic economy andhospitable people.

Following the success of APEC Year 2017, Vietnamwill continue accompanying other APEC member economies to implement reachedcommitments in the coming years to build the APEC Vision toward 2020 so thatAsia-Pacific will continue to be a driver of growth and economic connectivityfor the globe as well as ensure the forum is for people and businesses in orderto realise the strategic vision of a sustainable and inclusive Asia-Pacificpartnership, the President concluded.-VNA