Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Pham BinhMinh has urged member ministries, sectors and localities of the NationalCommittee for APEC 2017 to enhance coordination and information sharing inorder to ensure the success of all activities during the APEC Year in Vietnamin 2017. 

While chairing the sixth session of theCommittee in Hanoi on December 21, Deputy PM Minh hailed efforts of memberministries, agencies and localities to prepare for the event. 

He asked participants to examine completed worksas well as point out difficulties, challenges and experience in the preparationprocess in the last year. 

Relevant ministries, sectors and localities havepromptly grasped international trends and concerns of APEC member economies,thus proposing the year’s theme “Creating new driving force for a commonfuture”, he said.

Vietnam’s four priorities for the year,including strengthening regional economic connectivity; fostering sustainable,creative and inclusive growth; supporting micro, small and medium enterprises;and enhancing food security and sustainable agriculture, and climate changeadaptation, were supported by APEC member economies, he noted. 

According to the Deputy PM, the preparation wasconducted early and actively in the spirit of taking full advantage offacilities available and mobilising social resources, while the communicationwork was deployed swiftly with many creative ideas, contributing to widelypromoting the images of the land, people, tourism and economic potential ofVietnam to international and regional friends. 

However, he also mentioned limitations that mustbe addressed in the coming time in order to ensure the effective implementationof activities during the APEC Year 2017. 

With nearly 200 activities to be organisedacross the country, including the APEC Summit Week in the central city of DaNang, APEC 2017 will be a focus of Vietnam’s external affairs to affirm theParty and State policy on promoting international integration and multilateralexternal relations, contributing to elevating Vietnam’s position in the worldarena in the new situation. 

Senior officials from APEC member economies willgather in Nha Trang city of the central province of Khanh Hoa for their firstmeeting (SOM1) in March 2017. 

APEC 2017 is hoped to offer an opportunity forVietnam to enhance its economic, trade and investment ties with APEC membereconomies and promote the country’s image. 

Established in November 1989, APEC now comprises21 economies, representing around 39 percent of the world’s population, 57percent of total global GDP and 47 percent of international trade. 

Vietnam joined the forum in November 1998 andsuccessfully hosted the 2006 APEC and the 6th APEC Human Resources DevelopmentMinisterial Meeting in 2014. 

The National Committee was set up in mid-2015and consists of five sub-committees in charge of content, logistics, health andsecurity, communications and protocol preparations for APEC 2017.-VNA