Photos from the First CTI Meeting of 2021

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. APEC is now working on an implementation plan to take forward the Putrajaya Vision 2040. The objectives of CTI are to:

• Create a coherent APEC perspective and voice on global trade and investment issues and increase cooperation among members on key issues.
• Pursue opportunities to
• 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
• Consult on issues of importance on that context and develop consensus to expand and strengthen these flows within the region and globally
• Reduce and remove distortions which impede these flows

The CTI oversees eight sub-groups

• Business Mobility Group (BMG)
• Digital Economy Steering Group (on work other than the APEC Internet and Digital Economy Roadmap)
• 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)

The CTI oversees three industry dialogues

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

CTI’s priorities and key activities

• Support for the multilateral trading system
• Advancing regional economic integration, including on the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific Agenda
• 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 2020—are encapsulated in the 2020 CTI Annual Report to Ministers.

Recent activities

• First CTI Meeting 2021 (3-4 Mar 2021)
• Symposium on APEC Supporting the WTO Negotiations on Trade Related Aspects of E-Commerce 2021 (24 & 25 Mar 2021)
• APEC Advances Environmental Goods Tariffs Cut (11 Mar2021) & Economies' Implementation Plans/ Tariff Schedule
• Twelfth APEC Alliance for Supply Chain Connectivity Meeting 2021 (24 Feb 2021)
• Workshop on APEC Best Practice in Addressing Subsides That Contribute to Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (22 Feb 2021)
• Preparatory Meeting for the Symposium on APEC Supporting the WTO Negotiations on Trade Related Aspects of E-Commerce (2 Feb 2021)
• CTI-WEF Webinar on Trade Levers for Environmental Action and Circular Economies
• Workshop on Building Resilient Supply Chains in APEC: Agility in Crisis (Oct 2020)
• Workshop on Building Resilient Supply Chains in APEC (Aug 2020)

CTI initiatives completed in 2020

Market Access & Non-Tariff Measures

• Non-Tariff Measures on Essential Goods during COVID 19 in the APEC Region
• Public-Private Dialogue on Understanding Non-Tariff Measures on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Sectors
• Study for Final Review of Manufacturing Related Services (MSAP)
• Mapping Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) in Asia-Pacific Economies: Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Sectors
• Study of APEC Economies’ TBT and SPS Specific Trade Concerns: An Analysis from the APEC Cross Cutting Principles on Non-Tariff Measures
• Stock Take of APEC Economies’ Existing Measures on Withdrawal of Subsidies in Cases Where There Has Been a Determination of IUU Fishing
• Export Restrictions and Food Security in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Overview of the SME Sector in the APEC Region: Key Issues on Market Access and Internationalization
• Survey for Review of Chemical Management Regulatory Systems Worldwide - Summary
• Survey for Review of Chemical Management Regulatory Systems Worldwide

Services & the Digital Economy

• Next Generation Practices for Services Authorization in the Asia-Pacific Region
• Assessment of Capacity Building Needs to Support WTO Negotiation on Trade Related Aspects of E-commerce
• Study for Final Review of Environmental Services Action Plan (ESAP)
• Workshop on Manufacturing-Related Services and Environmental Services: Contribution to the Final Review of Manufacturing-Related Services Action Plan (MSAP) and Environmental Services Action Plan (ESAP)
• Promoting Consumer Protection in Digital Trade: Challenges and Opportunities
• The Role of Standardization in Promoting Employment Related to the Silver Economy
• Workshop on Best Practices Sharing to Improve Application of the APEC Non-Binding Principles for Domestic Regulation of the Services Sector
  Research on Promoting Trade in Services by SMEs and Women Entrepreneurs
• APEC Cross-Border E-Commerce Training (CBET) Workshop: Enabling APEC SMEs to Access Global Market
• Regulations, Policies and Initiatives on E-Commerce and Digital Economy for APEC MSMEs' Participation in the Region
• APEC Cross-Border Privacy Rules System Fostering Accountability Agent Participation for Participants, Developing Economies, and MSMEs Benefit Workshop
• Study on APEC's Non-binding Principles for Domestic Regulation of the Services Sector
• FTAAP Capacity Building Workshop on E-commerce Elements in FTAs/RTAs
• Trade Policy Dialogue on Fostering an Enabling Policy and Regulatory Environment in APEC for Data-utilizing Businesses

Investments

• Handbook on Obligations in International Investment Treaties
• Do Public Capital Investments Have an Impact on Economic Growth?

Trade Facilitation, Supply Chain Connectivity and GVCs

• APEC Trade in Value-Added (TiVA) Initiative (Report-Two) Better Understanding Global Value Chains in the APEC Region
• Integrating SMEs in Authorized Economic Operator Certification: Improving SME Participation in APEC Secure Trade
• APEC Customs Time Release Comparison Study – Case Study of AEO MRAs between APEC Member Economies
• Manual of Best Practices According to the AEO Benefits Survey Under Pillar 3 WCO SAFE Framework
• Managing Risks in Global Value Chains: Strengthening Resilience in the APEC Region
• Trade Facilitation by Ensuring a Safer Food Supply through Cross-border E-commerce
• APEC Guidelines and Best Practices for the Adoption of Global Data Standards
• Diagnosis of Applicability of the APEC Customs Transit Guidelines

Others

• Intellectual Property Commercialization for SMEs
• Reference Guide for Peer Review and Capacity Building on APEC Infrastructure Development and Investment
• FTAAP Capacity Building Workshop on Competition Policy under the 3rd REI CBNI: Sharing Good Examples of FTAs/EPAs

CTI-related publications from the APEC Policy Support Unit (PSU)

• 2020 CTI Annual Report to Ministers
• Outcomes and Outlook 2020/2021
• APEC Regional Trends Analysis - New Virus, Old Challenges and Rebuilding a Better Asia-Pacific; APEC amid COVID-19: Navigating Risks and Opportunities toward Resilience
• APEC at a Glance 2021
• APEC Regional Trends Analysis, February 2021 Update: Uneven Recovery, Unequal Impact
• APEC's Bogor Goals Dashboard 2020
• Final Review of APEC's Progress Towards the Bogor Goals
• APEC Connectivity Blueprint: The 2020 Mid-Term Review
• Research Outcomes: Summary of Research Projects 2019
• APEC Regional Trends Analysis, July 2020 Update: Deeper Contraction Calls for Decisive Action
• APEC Regional Trends Analysis - What Goes Around Comes Around: Pivoting to a Circular Economy; Uncertainty Tests APEC’s Resilience amid COVID-19
• 2019 APEC Policy Support Unit (PSU) Annual Report
• APEC in the Epicentre of COVID-19
• Trends and Developments in Provisions and Outcomes of RTA/FTAs Implemented in 2018 by APEC Economies