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 which 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 Rights Experts Group (IPEG)
• Investment Experts’ Group (IEG)
• Market Access Group (MAG)
• Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC)
• Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures (SCCP)

Three industry dialogues:

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

Last page update: December 2019

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 sub-fora—the dialogues, initiatives and achievements made in 2019—are encapsulated in the 2019 CTI Annual Report to Ministers.

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

• TPD on 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
• Development of the APEC Trade in Value Added (TiVA) database and related tools — Report Two
• Research on Promoting Trade in Services by SMEs and Women Entrepreneurs
• Annual Work Plan for the Asia-Pacific Model E-Port Network (APMEN)
• Implementation Guide on Global Data Standards (GDS)
• 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
• FTAAP Capacity Building Workshop on E-Commerce Elements in FTAs/RTAs
• Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in Digital Content Trade
• Capacity Building and Technical Assistance to Implement Programs Related to WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement Article 1: Publication and Availability of Information– Phase 2
• Capacity Building and Technical Assistance to Implement Programs Related to WTO TFA Article 3 (Advance Rulings) - Phase 3
• Promoting Smart Cities Through Quality Infrastructure Investment in Rapidly Urbanizing APEC Region
• Next Generation MSME-Specific Provisions and Possible Next Steps
• Public-Private Dialogue on Promoting Consumer Protection in the Dispute Resolution and Redress Mechanisms in E-Commerce
• Public-Private Dialogue on Emerging Opportunities and Challenges in Implementing the APEC Connectivity Blueprint 2025
• Workshop on Effective Domestic Policymaking for Stimulating Economic Upgrading Through Global Value Chains
• Digital Symposium

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
• 1^st Trade Policy Dialogue on Digital Trade @ SOM1 2019
• 2^nd Trade Policy Dialogue on Digital Trade @ SOM3 2019
• 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
• Capacity Building Workshop on Women and Trade
• Study of APEC Economies’ Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Notifications
• Conference on Quality Infrastructure
• 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
• Best Practice Technology Solutions for Single Window Systems Interoperability Interim Review of the Supply Chain Connectivity Framework Action Plan Phase II
• Peer Review for APEC Infrastructure Development and Investment to Indonesia
• Reference Guide for Peer Review and Capacity Building on APEC Infrastructure Development and Investment
• Development of the APEC Trade in Value Added (TiVA) database and related tools — APEC Trade in Value Added (TiVA) Initiative Report One
• APEC Cross-Border E-Commerce Training (CBET) Workshop
• Compendium on Methodologies for SMEs Internationalization
• The Fourth Annual Conference of APEC Green Supply Chain Cooperation Network (GSCNET) and capacity building workshop