The Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI) was established in November 1993 by the Declaration of an APEC Trade and Investment Framework. APEC Leaders and Ministers direct its work and APEC Senior Officials provide guidance. The scope of the CTI’s work was expanded and further clarified by the Osaka Action Agenda in 1995.

The CTI provides a forum for APEC’s 21 member economies to deliberate trade and policy issues. It works to reduce impediments to business activity in the areas outlined by the Osaka Action Agenda, with the objective of helping APEC economies achieve free and open trade and investment. The objectives of CTI are to

1. Create a coherent APEC perspective and voice on global trade and investment issues and increase cooperation among members on key issues.
2. Pursue opportunities to
   1. Liberalize and expand trade, facilitate a more open environment for investment and develop initiatives to improve the flow of goods, services, capital and technology within the region
   2. Consult on issues of importance on that context and develop consensus to expand and strengthen these flows within the region and globally
   3. Reduce and remove distortions that impede these flows in a manner consistent with applicable General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) principles.

The CTI oversees eight sub-groups:

• Business Mobility Group (BMG)
• Electronic Commerce Steering Group (ECSG)
• Group on Services (GOS)
• Intellectual Property Experts Group (IPEG)
• Investment Experts Group (IEG)
• Market Access Group (MAG)
• Sub-Committee on Standards Conformance (SCSC)
• Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures (SCCP)

Three industry dialogues:

• Automotive Dialogue (AD)
• Chemical Dialogue (CD)
• Life Sciences Innovation Forum (LSIF)

CTI’s priorities and key activities include:

• Support for the multilateral trading system
• Advancing regional economic integration, including implementing the Lima Declaration on the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific
• Trade facilitation and strengthening connectivity and infrastructure
• Promoting innovative development and inclusive approaches
• Engagement with the business sector and industry dialogues.

An overview of the work of the CTI and its 11 working groups—the dialogues, initiatives and achievements made in 2018—are encapsulated in the 2018 CTI Annual Report to Ministers endorsed at the APEC Annual Ministers Meeting in November 2018.

These CTI initiatives have been endorsed in 2019 or are currently under implementation

• APEC Strategic Blueprint for Promoting Global Value Chains 2020–2025
• Supply Chain Integration 4.0 Through Single Window Interoperability – Action Plan
• Promoting transparency through the improvement of WTO SPS notifications
• Taking Forward the Lima Declaration on the Free Trade Area of Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) - Study on Tariffs
• Understanding Non-Tariff Measures on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Sectors to Enhance Trade to Improve Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation in the Asia-Pacific Region
• Enhancing Trade Policy Transparency in APEC
• Work Program on Environment-related Provisions in FTAs/RTAs
• Work Plan on Digital Trade and E-Commerce for the Realization of FTAAP
• FTAAP Capacity Building Workshop on E-Commerce Elements in FTAs/RTAs
• APEC Cross-Border E-Commerce Training (CBET) Workshop
• Development of the APEC Trade in Value Added (TiVA) database and related tools
• Compendium on Methodologies for SMEs Internationalization
• The Fourth Annual Conference of APEC Green Supply Chain Cooperation Network (GSCNET) and capacity building workshop
• Research on Promoting Trade in Services by SMEs and Women Entrepreneurs
• Best Practice Technology Solutions for Single Window Systems Interoperability
• Interim Review of the Supply Chain Connectivity Framework Action Plan Phase II
• Annual Work Plan for the Asia-Pacific Model E-Port Network (APMEN)
• Implementation Guide on Global Data Standards (GDS)
• Peer Review for APEC Infrastructure Development and Investment to Indonesia
• Reference Guide for Peer Review and Capacity Building on APEC Infrastructure Development and Investment
• Capacity Building Needs of Economies on Trade-Related Aspects of e-Commerce
• Final Progress Report on the Bogor Goals
• Final Review of the Manufacturing Related Services Action Plan
• Final Review of the Environmental Services Action Plan
• Capacity Building Workshop on RTA/FTA Negotiation Skills on Transparency
• Capacity Building Workshop on Promoting Digital Economy

  CTI initiatives completed in 2019:

• Survey on MSME/MSME-related Provisions in APEC Economies’ FTAs/RTAs
• Workshop on Optimizing Investment Measures in the Asia-Pacific Region
• Capacity Building Workshop on Competition Policy in FTAs/EPAs
• Workshop on Domestic Consultation in RTA/FTAs Negotiation
• Workshop on RTA/FTA Negotiation Skills on SMEs
• Two Trade Policy Dialogues on Digital Trade
• Study on Fostering an Enabling Policy and Regulatory Environment in APEC for Data-Utilizing Businesses
• Workshop on Trade and Investment Inter-Dependencies in GVCs
• SMEs’ Integration into Global Value Chains in Services Industries: Tourism Sector
• 9^th APEC Alliance for Supply Chain Connectivity (A2C2) Meeting
• Workshop on Best Practices of Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) Implementation within APEC Economies: Opportunities and Challenges
• Public-Private Dialogue on Advertising Standards in the Digital Economy
• Workshop on Women and Trade
• Study of APEC Economies’ Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Notifications
• Conference on Quality Infrastructure