Forward
1.
We, the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers, met on 7-8 November 2014, in
Beijing, China. The meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign
Affairs of the People's Republic of China, and H.E. Gao Hucheng, Minister of
Commerce of the People's Republic of China.
2.
We assembled
under the theme of “Shaping the Future through Asia-Pacific Partnership”, and
focused on three priority areas, Advancing Regional Economic Integration,
Promoting Innovative Development, Economic Reform and Growth, and Strengthening
Comprehensive Connectivity and Infrastructure Development. We held substantial
discussions on the economic situation in the region, the changing global and
regional landscape, the challenges and opportunities for APEC member economies,
and the vision for APEC cooperation.
3.
We are
committed to taking concrete steps and joint actions to foster Asia-Pacific
partnership, strengthen the role of APEC, and contribute to the long-term
development and common prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region, with the goal of
ensuring the role of the Asia-Pacific region as the engine for global economic
growth.
4.
We welcome the
participation in the meeting of the Director General of the WTO, the Chair of
the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), the Deputy Secretary General of
ASEAN, the co-chairs of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), and the
representative of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).
5.
We pledge to take the following
actions:
Advancing Regional Economic
Integration
6.
We endorse the
2014 APEC Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI) Annual Report to
Ministers.
Supporting the
Multilateral Trading System
7.
We reaffirm
our confidence in the value of the multilateral trading system and stand firmly
to strengthen the rules-based, transparent, non-discriminatory, open and
inclusive multilateral trading system as embodied in the
WTO.
8.
We highly
commend the Bali Package achieved at the 9th Ministerial Conference (MC9) in
Bali, Indonesia. We express our grave concern regarding the impasse in the
implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) which has resulted in
stalemate and uncertainties over other Bali decisions. These developments have
affected the credibility of the WTO negotiating function. In finding solutions
to the implementation of the Bali decisions, APEC will exert creative leadership
and energy together with all WTO members in unlocking this impasse, putting all
Bali decisions back on track, and proceeding with the formulation of Post-Bali
Work Program, as a key stepping stone to concluding the Doha
Round.
9.
Bearing in
mind that open markets are vital for economic growth, job creation and
sustainable development, we reaffirm our commitment and recommend that our
Leaders extend a standstill until the end of 2018, and roll back protectionist
and trade-distorting measures. We remain committed to exercising maximum
restraint in implementing measures that may be consistent with WTO provisions
but have a significant protectionist effect，and
to promptly rectifying such measures, where implemented. In this context, we
support the work of the WTO and other international organizations in monitoring
protectionism.
10.
We recognize
that bilateral, regional and plurilateral trade agreements can play an important
role in complementing global liberalization initiatives. We will continue to
work together to ensure that they contribute to strengthening the multilateral
trading system. We underscore the importance of the negotiations to expand the
product coverage of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA). A final ITA
expansion outcome should be commercially significant, credible, pragmatic,
balanced, and reflective of the dynamic technological developments in the
information technology sector over the last 17 years, and contribute to the
multilateral trading system. We welcome APEC’s leadership in advancing the
negotiations. We welcome the launch
of negotiations on Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA) in July 2014 in Geneva.
We encourage participants of the above initiatives to seek expanded
memberships.
Free Trade
Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP)
11.
In order to
translate the FTAAP from a vision to reality, we agree to kick off and advance the process in a comprehensive and systematic manner towards the
eventual realization of the FTAAP. We adopt
the Beijing Roadmap for APEC’s Contribution to the Realization of the
FTAAP which demonstrates APEC’s leadership
and commitment to regional economic integration and provides a pragmatic guide
to advance work towards the FTAAP in a step-by-step approach, with the goal of establishing the FTAAP as
early as possible by building on ongoing regional undertakings. We instruct officials
to undertake the actions identified in the roadmap while pursuing the conclusion
of initiatives considered as potential building blocks of the FTAAP.
12.
We
agree to launch a collective strategic study on issues related to the
realization of the FTAAP and adopt the Outline of this Study. This study
will be built on previous analytical work in APEC, and aim to analyze a wide
range of options for expanding Asia-Pacific trade and investment
with
contributions and support from ABAC, PECC and APEC Study Centers. We instruct
the CTI Friends of the Chair Group on Strengthening REI and Advancing FTAAP to
organize and lead a task force to undertake the study and report the result to
us by the end of 2016.
13.
We welcome the
establishment of an APEC Information Sharing Mechanism on RTAs/FTAs,
and
encourage officials to advance work under this mechanism and to report
back to us in 2015. We
welcome the progress achieved under the Action Plan Framework on Capacity
Building Needs Initiatives (CBNI) and endorse the Action Plan Framework of the
2nd CBNI. We instruct Senior Officials to take steps to ensure the
effective implementation of the 2nd CBNI.
Bogor
Goals
14.
In 1994, APEC Leaders announced
the commitment to achieve the goal of free and open trade and investment in the
Asia-Pacific, with APEC's industrialized economies
to achieve the goal by 2010 and
developing economies by 2020.
Today, as we
gather in Beijing, we remain
committed to this core mission. We commit to upholding APEC’s role towards
achieving the Bogor Goals by 2020. We urge all economies, particularly developed
economies, to deeply consider the outcomes of the Report on APEC's 2010
Economies' Progress towards the Bogor Goals and the 2012 and 2014 Bogor Goals
Progress Reports, and to take more concrete actions towards attaining the Bogor
Goals.
15.
We take note
on the progress of the study on promoting trade in products which contribute to
sustainable and inclusive growth through rural development and poverty
alleviation. We look forward to the final report by early
2015.
Global Value
Chain (GVC)
16.
Recognizing
that Global Value Chains (GVCs) have become a dominant feature of the global
economy involving economies at varying levels of development, we agree to take
concrete actions to create an enabling environment for GVC development and
cooperation while taking into account the different economic circumstances of
APEC economies. In this regard, we endorse the APEC Strategic Blueprint for
Promoting Global Value Chain Development and Cooperation as a mechanism to
strengthen mutual economic cooperation within the global value chain network,
and shape a resilient and inclusive future for economic growth through a
stronger and closer Asia-Pacific partnership. We welcome the progress made so
far, and instruct officials to advance the work through the
CTI
Friends of the Chair Group on GVCs to put
forward new initiatives under this Strategic Blueprint for 2015 and beyond by
working closely with related international organizations.
17.
We note a
proposal to study localization policies in the context of GVCs, and discuss
possible ways through which economies can promote job creation and
competitiveness.
18.
We endorse
the Strategic Framework on Measurement of APEC Trade in Value Added (TiVA)
under GVCs and the Action Plan on this Strategic Framework. We instruct the
newly-established technical group to work closely with related international
organizations, with an aim to complete the construction of the APEC TiVA
Database by 2018.
19.
We endorse the
initiative on Promoting SME’s Integration into Global Value Chains in Major
Industries. We welcome the voluntary participation of leading
economies
in
the key industrial sectors. We encourage APEC economies to make concerted
efforts to bring concrete policy recommendations that can facilitate SME’s
integration into GVCs.
20.
We welcome the
completion of the APEC Policy Support Unit (PSU) study on Comprehensive Analysis
on Enhanced Resiliency of Cross-Border Value Chains, and instruct officials to
make a collaborative effort to enhance cross-border value chain resilience,
including business continuity, in the region, building on the PSU
study.
Supply Chain
Connectivity
21.
We welcome the
comprehensive Capacity Building Plan to improve supply chain performance, and
encourage economies to include new projects in 2015. This living document will
guide our work to i) reach our Leaders’ goal of achieving a ten percent
improvement in supply chain performance by 2015; ii) deploy the resources in the
Supply Chain Connectivity Sub-Fund; and iii) help developing economies overcome
supply-chain obstacles and implement the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. We
welcome the diagnostic reports on eight chokepoints of the Supply Chain
Framework Action Plan (SCFAP), which will guide our current and future targeted
capacity building and technical assistance projects. We also welcome the
establishment of the APEC Alliance for Supply Chain Connectivity (A2C2) and look
forward to its contributions to our capacity building work next
year.
22.
Recognizing
the importance of promoting supply chain connectivity through E-port development
and collaboration efforts, we endorse the APEC Initiative on Asia-Pacific
Model E-port Network and the Terms of Reference of the Asia-Pacific Model
E-port Network (APMEN), serving as a brain trust to
promote E-port development and cooperation under the principles of mutual
benefits and respect. We applaud the nominations from Australia; Canada; China;
Hong Kong, China; Mexico; Peru; Chinese Taipei; and Viet Nam of the first batch
of APEC Model E-ports to join the APMEN. We agree to set up the APMEN
operational center in Shanghai Model E-port, and instruct officials to advance
the APMEN cooperation.
23.
We positively
value the APEC High-Level Roundtable on Green Development held in Tianjin, China
in May 2014 and its output, the Declaration of APEC High-Level
Roundtable on Green Development. We agree to establish the APEC Cooperation
Network on Green Supply Chain to strengthen the capacity building and
information sharing on green supply chain and to promote green supply chain
cooperation among APEC economies and stakeholders, and to contribute to the
green development of the region. We endorse the establishment of the first pilot
center of the APEC Cooperation Network on Green Development
held in Tianjin, China.
24.
Recognising
that the wider use of interoperable Global
Data
Standards
(GDS)
can bring about broader benefits of efficiency, integrity, visibility and
innovation, we encourage officials to further advance their work on GDS,
including developing pilot projects, conducting a study and establishing a set
of policy-based principles or recommendations for future GDS
initiatives. We endorse
the APEC Statement on Promoting The Use Of Interoperable Global Data Standards
(Annex A ).
25.
We endorse the
project proposals on Capacity Building and Technical Assistance to Implement
Programs on Pre-Arrival Processing, Expedited Shipments, Release of Goods,
Advance Rulings, and Electronic Payments, the implementation of which will
substantially help us achieve our objective of a 10% improvement in supply chain
performance by 2015, help us implement the future WTO Trade Facilitation
Agreement commitments and to further our trade facilitation
objectives.
Next
Generation Trade and Investment Issues
26.
We welcome the
case studies to identify manufacturing related services in supply chains/value
chains as a next generation trade and investment issue, and instruct officials
to develop a plan of action in 2015, with the contribution by the PSU and
possible input from ABAC and PECC.
Environmental
Goods and Services
27.
Implementation
of our groundbreaking commitment to reduce tariffs on environmental goods by the
end of 2015 is critical to achieve both economic and environmental benefits. We
call on officials to submit implementation plans by the 2015 Ministers
Responsible for Trade Meeting, in line with the Leaders’ commitment in 2012. We
welcome the work this year on capacity building on implementation of
Environmental Goods commitment and the first meeting of the APEC Public Private
Partnership on Environmental Goods and Services (PPEGS) on renewable and clean
energy trade and investment. We endorse the APEC Statement on Promoting
Renewable and Clean Energy (RCE) Trade and Investment (Annex B), and
commit to create an enabling environment for RCE trade and investment. We also welcome the
endorsement of the initiative on liberalization, facilitation and
cooperation of environmental services, and instruct officials to develop a plan
of action by the next AMM in 2015.
Customs
28.
We note the
unique role of Customs in facilitating trade and endorse the APEC Customs 3M
Strategic Framework (Annex
C). We also
reaffirm our commitment to further simplify and harmonize customs procedures in
line with relevant international standards, including those developed by the
World Customs Organization (WCO). We encourage
full implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement by customs
administrations in APEC economies.
29.
We welcome the
progress in formulating the Guidelines for APEC Customs Transit to enhance
harmonization among APEC Customs administrations and expect effective
implementation and evaluation in the following stages. We recognize the
continued efforts in promoting interoperability of various Single Window systems
and in researching on the benefits of the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO)
system throughout the APEC region for the further improvement of supply chain
performance. We welcome the customs initiative to suppress illegal transactions
through cross-border e-commerce and support the collaboration with the business
to better manage the potential risk at border and facilitate legitimate trade.
We welcome the continued voluntary Customs enforcement operation of Intellectual
Property Rights (IPR) protection to combat infringements and relevant capacity
building programs that can enhance trade order.
Intellectual
Property Rights (IPRs)
30.
We reaffirm
that IPR provide incentives that encourage creativity and innovation and renew
our commitment to enhance the protection and enforcement of IPR, including trade
secrets.
Services
31.
We welcome
continued work to increase transparency of services trade-related regulations as
well as the efforts
to facilitate services trade and investment, and foster the development of open
services markets. We take note
of the proposal to update information in the Services Trade Access Requirements
(STAR) database and expand it to cover all 21 economies in each of the eight
services sectors. We encourage further engagement between the public and private
sectors to address impediments to and facilitate services trade growth,
including through conducting public-private dialogues in the
future.
Investment
32.
We endorse the Action Agenda
on Promoting Infrastructure Investment through Public-Private Partnership (Annex
D). We instruct officials to strengthen cooperation on PPP to promote more
robust infrastructure investment and development in the APEC region.
33.
We welcome the
work on Case Studies on Sustainable Investment in the APEC Region, and welcome
the cases nominated by APEC economies and encourage APEC economies to consider
experience from the good cases to promote sustainable investment and inclusive
growth in the APEC region.
34.
We welcome the
initiative to develop the Guidebook on PPP Framework in APEC Region as an
implementation of Multi-Year Plan on Infrastructure Development and Investment
(MYPIDI). We encourage APEC economies to continue working on the guidebook in
2015.
Industry
Dialogues
35.
We endorse the
Asia-Pacific Region Automotive Industry Sustainable Development Declaration
submitted by the Automotive Dialogue (AD), and welcome the outcomes of the 2014
APEC Regulatory Cooperation Advancement Mechanism (ARCAM) Dialogue on Electric
Vehicle Standards. We endorse the new APEC Actions to Promote Widespread Usage
of Electric Vehicles, and we instruct officials to draft a roadmap for Electric
Vehicles in 2015.
36.
We welcome the
expansion of the APEC Cross Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) System to include
additional participating member economies and numerous certified companies. We
commend the endorsement of a common referential to enhance interoperability
between the European Union (EU) Binding Corporate Rules and APEC CBPR System. We
welcome additional member economies’ participation in the system and look
forward to enhancing privacy collaboration in the context of cross border data
flows between the EU and APEC based on the referential.
37.
We endorse the
APEC Cross Border E-Commerce Innovation and Development Initiative to
promote the application and development of cross-border e-commerce in the APEC
region and facilitate SMEs’ participation in global trade. We encourage
economies to designate or establish Research Centers of Cross-border E-commerce
Innovation and Development on a voluntary basis. We welcome the initiatives to
foster an enabling environment for E-Commerce development.
38.
We
support efforts to foster more effective advertising regulation and standards to
promote advertising, and
endorse the
APEC Action Agenda on Advertising Standards and encourage economies to undertake
efforts to implement its recommendations in 2015.
39.
We welcome the
initiative of the Life Sciences Innovation Forum (LSIF) to build awareness of
and capacity for implementation of common product data standards along the
supply chain and to promote efficient GVCs in the health and life sciences
sectors. We also note the progress made on establishing a center of excellence
for regulatory sciences focusing on Multi-Regional Clinical Trials (MRCT) and on
establishing a training center. We encourage research and development on
effective and safe use of Traditional and Complimentary Alternative Medicines
(TCAM).
40.
We welcome
the work being undertaken by the Chemical Dialogue to reduce barriers to trade
in the chemical sector. We instruct officials to identify
tangible means to advance these efforts, to address
barriers to trade and encourage good regulatory practices, including through a
renewed focus on implementation of the Best Practice Principles for Chemicals
Regulation. We look forward to
report outcomes and next steps in 2015 on innovative solutions on marine debris.
We welcome
the annual Globally Harmonized
System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS)
implementation report.
41.
To increase
wine production, to expand trade, and to create jobs in the region, we commit to
eliminating
unnecessary export certification for wine by 2018
and instruct
officials to advance this
work.
42.
We reaffirm
our commitment to the Manila Framework which serves as the basis for the
implementation of economic and technical cooperation activities outlined in the
Osaka Action Agenda, and recognize the vital role of effective and targeted
capacity building programs in supporting trade and investment liberalization and
facilitation.
43.
We endorse the
APEC Strategic Plan on Capacity Building to Promote Trade and Investment
Agenda (Annex E) which adopts a strategic, goal-oriented, multi-year
approach to capacity building. We
encourage officials to develop more tailor-made capacity building programs to
contribute to the core trade and investment agenda of
APEC.
Promoting
Innovative Development, Economic Reform and Growth
44.
We recognize
it is imperative to garner benefit from the complementary and mutually
reinforcing relationship between innovation, reform and growth. We are therefore
determined to seize the opportunities, overcome the challenges and pursue new
drivers for development and new growth areas. We endorse the APEC Accord on
Promoting Innovative Development, Economic Reform and Growth, and submit it
to the Leaders for adoption.
Economic
Reform
45.
We welcome the
continued progress of APEC economies in implementing the APEC New Strategy on
Structural Reform (ANSSR). We agree to take more effective steps to advance the
APEC Structural Reform agenda in 2015 and beyond, including convening the 2nd
APEC Ministerial Meeting on Structural Reform in 2015, with a view to giving
strategic direction to a post-ANSSR structural reform framework for APEC.
46.
We recognize
that many APEC member economies are facing the challenge of the Middle-Income
Trap (MIT). We agree that APEC should make contribution to help overcome the
MIT. We instruct the Economic Committee (EC) to continue its work on the MIT,
especially, in the context of the 2nd APEC Ministerial Meeting on Structural
Reform. We encourage APEC members to share experiences and provide capacity
building in order to assist economies overcome the MIT through structural
reform.
47.
We note the
stocktaking program on Ease of Doing Business (EODB), and encourage further work
by economies on the future directions of EODB work after 2015.
48.
We
welcome the joint
efforts of the EC and the Asia Pacific Regional Office of the Hague Conference
on Private International Law (HCCH), as well as other private international law
organizations such as the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) to
build awareness of private international law instruments to facilitate
cross-border trade and investment, enhance ease of doing business, and foster
effective enforcement of contracts and efficient settlement of business
disputes.
49.
We endorse the
2014 APEC Economic Policy Report (AEPR) on Good Regulatory Practice, and agree
on the selection of Structural Reform and Innovation as the topic for the 2015
AEPR. We instruct officials starting in 2014 to host the APEC Conference on Good
Regulatory Practices once a year, rather than biennially, with the Sub-Committee
on Standards and Conformance and the Economic Committee alternating hosting
duties. We instruct officials to
study economies’ implementation of the new APEC Actions on Public Consultations
on Proposed Regulations in the Internet Era in the 2015 update to the Baseline
Study on Good Regulatory Practices in APEC Economies. We encourage economies to
provide innovative capacity building approaches to the implementation of good
regulatory practices and the use of regulatory tools.
Internet
Economy
50.
We recognize
that the Internet Economy is an effective driver of economic reform, innovation
and sustainable growth. We commit to make APEC play a constructive role in
promoting the Internet Economy. We welcome the outcomes of the Multi-Stakeholder
Dialogue on APEC Cooperation on the Internet Economy. We welcome the
establishment of an Ad Hoc Steering Group to guide the discussion on issues
arising from the Internet Economy. In this regard, we endorse the APEC
Initiative of Cooperation to Promote Internet Economy (Annex F). We welcome
work to identify indicators for APEC’s information society, to improve
understanding among economies of policies that promote economic benefits from
the information economy.
51.
We agree to
leverage the Internet Economy to foster an enabling environment that empowers
Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) as well as the vulnerable and disadvantaged
groups. We agree to promote safe, efficient, low-cost and inclusive internet
financial services to enable SMEs and individuals to share the benefits of
economic development, in accordance with the development level and capacity of
each member economy.
Ocean
Cooperation
52.
We welcome the
Xiamen Declaration endorsed at the 4th APEC Ocean-related Ministerial Meeting.
We acknowledge the APEC Ocean and Fisheries Working Group (OFWG) views on Blue
Economy and the outcomes of the APEC Blue Economy Forums hosted by China. We
encourage APEC economies to develop environmentally-friendly ocean-related
economic activity as an approach to the sustainable management of marine
resources, such as marine renewable energy, and sustainable fisheries and
aquaculture through innovation. We endorse the APEC Ocean Cooperation in the
Asia Pacific Region (Annex G). We support the establishment of the Steering
Council of Mainstreaming Ocean-Related issues in APEC. We also welcome the APEC
project “Workshop on the Climate Change Impact on Oceans and Fisheries
Resources”.
Energy
53.
We commend the implementation of the APEC
Low-Carbon Model Town Project and the related promotion activities and the
strengthening of the Energy Smart Communities Initiative under the Energy
Working Group (EWG). We welcome
the outcomes of the 11th APEC Energy Ministerial Meeting (EMM), including the
establishment of the APEC Sustainable Energy Center in China, the
promotion of the APEC LNG Trade Facilitation Initiative and the
aspirational goal of doubling the share of renewables in the APEC energy mix,
including in power generation by 2030.
We
reiterate our aspirational goal of reducing APEC’s
aggregate energy intensity by 45 percent from 2005 levels by 2035 and to
rationalize and phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage
wasteful consumption while still providing essential energy services. We
acknowledge Peru and New Zealand for initiating voluntary peer reviews of
inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that cause wasteful consumption and sharing
their best practices, and welcome the commitment from the Philippines to undergo
the review in 2015.
54.
Recognizing
that fossil fuel will continue to play a significant role in the energy mix of
this region, in the medium to long term, we therefore reaffirm the importance of
the clean and efficient use of fossil fuel. We encourage
member economies, where there
are difficulties in quickly deploying alternatives to coal,
to enhance cooperation in developing and applying clean coal technologies such
as highly efficient coal-fired power plants and Carbon Capture Utilization and
Storage.
We support the safe and efficient development of nuclear power, which functions as a base load power
source,
in interested economies.
We
encourage
member
economies to create favorable conditions for trade and investment to support the
LNG market in the APEC region, including by relaxing destination
clauses.
55.
We agree to
facilitate trade in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products by
converging energy efficiency regulations and enhance public-private dialogue
through the ICT product Energy Efficiency Convergence Forum, to avoid possible
technical barriers to trade of energy efficient ICT products.
Forestry and
Wildlife
56.
We reaffirm
our commitment to promote trade in legal timber, legally harvested wood and wood
products and combat illegal logging and associated trade. We instruct officials
to consider proposals related to information sharing and transparency, and to
take concrete actions to combat illegal logging and promote trade in legal wood
products. We welcome member economies' endeavors through the Expert Group on
Illegal Logging and Associated Trade (EGILAT) to promote and facilitate greater
transparency and information sharing.
57.
We are
committed to conserving wildlife resources by strengthening our efforts to
improve the livelihood of rural community, protect forest, grassland, wetland,
desert and marine ecosystems, enhance environmental protection, and facilitate
trade in legally harvested wildlife. We remain committed to strengthening our
efforts to combat wildlife trafficking in the APEC region and reduce the supply
of and demand for illegally traded wildlife. We will join hands to combat
illicit transnational trade in protected wildlife by sharing information,
intelligence, experiences and best practices, and strengthening international
cooperation. We welcome actions being taken to build capacity to stop this
illicit trade, including through cooperative activities such as the APEC
Capacity Building Workshop on Reduction of Demand for Illegally Traded Wildlife
held in Hanoi in October 2014.
Mining
58.
We welcome the
outcome of the 5th Meeting of APEC Ministers Responsible for Mining and
underscore the important role of sustainable development in mining in the
Asia-Pacific region in promoting economic and social development, creating
quality jobs, reducing poverty, improving infrastructure, and bridging regional
development gaps. We support initiatives to promote the transformation and
growth of mining and encourage the APEC Mining Task Force to continue to advance
mining cooperation in the region.
Science and
Technology
59.
We endorse the
initiative on Toward Innovation-Driven Development to build a vigorous
partnership on science, technology and innovation. We encourage members to
promote regional science and technology collaboration through the Policy
Partnership on Science Technology and Innovation (PPSTI) and cross-fora cooperation and coordination among APEC
mechanisms, such as the APEC Chief Science Advisors and Equivalents’ Meeting and
the APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research, and Education
(ASPIRE).
60.
We encourage
members, on a voluntary basis, to raise the proportion of public finance for
innovation in science, technology, and related fields. We support members’
efforts to promote entrepreneurial innovation through fiscal and financial
policy measures and other means; to strengthen support for innovative activities
by SMEs; to shorten the length of translation and commercialization periods of
patent and technologies, and to enhance the economic contributions of science
and technology. We welcome the establishment of APEC Biomedical Technology
Commercialization Training Centers in the Republic of Korea and Thailand. We
welcome the outcomes of the APEC Conference on Appropriate Technology (AT).
Small and Medium
Enterprises
61.
We welcome the
outcomes of the 21st SME Ministerial Meeting and the Nanjing Declaration on
Promoting SME Innovative Development. We
endorse the outcomes of the first APEC Business Ethics for SMEs Forum in the Nanjing Declaration to Promote Ethical
Business Environments in the Medical Device and Biopharmaceutical Sectors
(2014-2020),and support the Manila Declaration for the Construction and
Engineering Sector. We commit to improve innovation and sustainable
development of SMEs, and to further strengthen the innovation capacity of SMEs.
We encourage SME R&D through various means such as financial inclusion of
innovative start-ups and high-growth SMEs, and actively explore feasible ways to
drive the SMEs innovation based on information technology and e-commerce. We
encourage the supportive role of APEC service platforms. We welcome the progress
in developing and implementing code of ethics in member economies to create
ethical business environments that support innovation and the sustainable
growth, especially for SMEs.
Human Resource Development and
Skills Training
62.
We welcome the
outcome of the 6th APEC Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministerial Meeting and
the HRD Action Plan (2015-2018) on Promoting Quality Employment and
Strengthening People-to-People Connectivity through HRD. We acknowledge the
initiative of APEC economies to establish APEC Human Resources Development
Centers, including the proposal for establishing such a center in Viet
Nam.
63.
We support
training programs for skills development and endorse the establishment of
capacity building centers to help workers achieve competencies required to meet
industry demand. We agree to improve skills for women and young people and
foster an enabling environment to create better quality jobs, and welcome the
progress made under the APEC Skills Development Promotion Project (2010-2014).
Women
64.
We welcome the
outcomes of the APEC 2014 Women and the Economy Forum, and encourage sustained
momentum from economies to provide policy support for women’s economic
empowerment and establish a gender-responsive enabling environment to advance
women's full and equal economic participation, including in women’s access to
jobs, capital, markets, business networks, skills and capacity building, and
innovation and technology. We support launching a Women’s Entrepreneurship in
APEC (WE-APEC) network of networks in the Asia-Pacific region. We recognize the
importance of data to be measured and tracked to show progress over time for
advancing women’s economic empowerment, and we welcome the establishment of the
APEC Women and the Economy Dashboard as an important step in tracking women’s
ability to participate in the economy in the APEC region. We recognize the role
of public-private collaboration in promoting women’s leadership, and we welcome
the 50 Leading Companies for Women in
APEC report and encourage economies to share and disseminate best practices
of those companies domestically. We instruct the APEC Policy Partnership on
Women and Economy (PPWE) to collaborate with other APEC fora to incorporate a
gender perspective into APEC’s work. We encourage cross-fora synergies wherever
possible, and welcome the Healthy Women, Healthy Economies joint initiative to
enhance women’s labor force participation, and efforts to enhance export
programs in member economies to Assist Women-owned SMEs Access to the Global
Market.
Food Safety and
Security
65.
We welcome the
outcomes of the 3rd APEC Food Security Ministerial Meeting. We support the APEC
Action Plan for Reducing Food Loss and Waste, the APEC Food Security Business
Plan (2014-2020), and the APEC Food Security Roadmap toward 2020 (2014 version)
and the Action Plan to Enhance Connectivity of APEC Food Standards and Safety
Assurance. We recognize the important role of the Policy Partnership on Food
Security as a platform to convene governments and private enterprises to share
expertise, knowledge, and jointly address food security. We reaffirm the
importance of enhancing food security through the development of food value
chains, and acknowledge the efforts made jointly by member economies in reducing
food loss.
66.
We welcome the
outcomes of the Food Safety Cooperation Forum Special Session in Beijing and its
Partnership Training Institute Network in developing robust food safety systems
in APEC member economies, especially those reflected in the APEC Food Safety
Beijing Statement 2014 of the APEC High-Level Regulator Industry
Dialogue.
67.
We are
committed to strengthening APEC agricultural science and technology innovation
and cooperation with a view to facilitating trade related agricultural products
and promoting sustainable agricultural development. We will encourage the use of
agricultural science and technology research in a market-oriented manner to
improve food safety and security in the region.
Disaster
Management
68.
We welcome the
recommendations from the 8th Disaster Management Senior Officials Forum. We
encourage APEC member economies to place more emphasis on the application of
science and technology in disaster preparedness, risk reduction, response and
post-disaster recovery and cooperation in search and rescue, and recognize them
as effective approaches to responding to global climate change and promoting a
balance between economic growth, inclusive social development, and sustainable
use of the environment and resources.
69.
We welcome the
Work Plan on Emergency Response Travel Facilitation (ERTF) that will continue
APEC’s work in easing the mobility of emergency responders and business
community to take part in the post-disaster recovery. We commend the ongoing
work to promote the use of business continuity plans to mitigate the impact of
disasters on communities and economies.
70.
We welcome the
APEC Guidelines for Appropriate Donations
in Times of Disaster to support
effective public donations practices, efficient supply chain and relief
operations, and speedier economic recovery in disaster-affected areas. We commit
to improving the resilience of supply chains in APEC economies. We
support and recognize the importance of assessing the economic value of coastal
ecosystems for disaster risk reduction and response and coastal resilience. We
encourage additional emergency response
mechanisms to increase resiliency of our energy infrastructure to natural
disasters and climate change.
We
welcome work that might better utilize new technologies to improve how we work
collectively across APEC in response to disasters and emergencies, such as the
initial steps taken for people rescue by the APEC Telecommunications and
Information Working Group. We support the goal of increasing human safety by
using ICT. We
encourage the application of innovative science and technology to better utilize
big data and share value-added information that will enhance capacity building
on disaster resilience for SMEs and Global Value Chains. We acknowledge the progress
being made by APEC toward establishing the Trade Recovery Programme, a
trade recovery communications mechanism.
Anti-Corruption
71.
We
resolve to
strengthen pragmatic anti-corruption cooperation, especially in key areas such
as denying safe haven, extraditing or repatriating corrupt officials, enhancing
asset recovery efforts, and protecting market order and integrity.
72.
We endorse
the Beijing Declaration on Fighting Corruption (Annex H), the APEC Principles on the Prevention of Bribery
and Enforcement of Anti-bribery Laws, and the APEC General Elements of Effective Corporate
Compliance Programs.
73.
We welcome the
establishment of the APEC Network of Anti-Corruption and Law Enforcement
Agencies (ACT-NET) with the
finalization of its Terms of Reference. We expect to
deepen international cooperation, information and intelligence exchange and
experience sharing among anti-corruption and law enforcement practitioners from
APEC member economies through the ACT-NET and other platforms.
74.
We appreciate
the efforts of the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Working Group in
collaborating with other APEC fora to improve transparency in this
region.
Counter-Terrorism
75.
We
welcome the upgrade of Counter Terrorism Task Force (CTTF) and
commend the
achievements of the Counter Terrorism Working Group (CTWG) during this year,
including identification of its priorities and implementation of the CTWG
Strategic Plan 2013-2017. We commend the outcomes of the Secure Trade in APEC
Region (STAR) IX Conference. We encourage economies to continue to cooperate and
communicate in areas such as secure supply chain, secure travel, secure finance
and secure infrastructure, to improve and maintain trade security and economic
stability in the region.
Health
76.
Recognizing
health is a critical component of economic and trade development as well as a
driver of regional economic growth, we endorse the Healthy Asia Pacific 2020
initiative and the
Statement by the 4th APEC High Level Meeting on Health and the
Economy. We reaffirm our commitment to strengthen health systems with a focus on
the areas of: Universal Health
Coverage; health financing; the prevention and control of non-communicable
diseases and preparedness for effective management of infectious diseases;
strengthening mental health through implementation of the 2015-2020 roadmap; and
promoting understanding of the safe and effective use of traditional medicine
and similar products.
Urbanization
77.
We note the
outcomes of the APEC High Level Dialogue on Urbanization in August 2014. We
endorse the APEC Cooperation Initiative for Jointly Establishing an
Asia-Pacific Urbanization Partnership. We encourage more support for
urbanization cooperation activities.
78.
We welcome the
APEC Policy Support Unit (PSU) study on Urbanization and Sustainable City
Development, and task it to continue its study on regional urbanization. We
encourage relevant APEC fora to incorporate urbanization-related topics into
their work programs. We agree to set up a Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM)
Friends of the Chair on Urbanization to guide future work in this
field.
79.
We commend efforts made in the
implementation of the APEC Low-Carbon Model Town Project and the
Energy Smart Communities Initiative under the
APEC Energy Working Group, and instruct officials to explore pathways to
sustainable city development and to a new type of urbanization that is green,
circular, low-carbon and people-oriented, thus striking a balance between
economic growth, inclusive social development and sustainable use of the
environment and resources. We agree to establish a cooperative network of
sustainable cities in APEC economies.
Strengthening
Comprehensive Connectivity and Infrastructure
Development
80.
We recognize that strengthening
comprehensive connectivity and infrastructure development plays a vital role in
fostering trade facilitation in the region, realizing a more interconnected
regional economy, and improving the competitiveness. We are convinced that it
will contribute substantially to the realization of the Bogor Goals and regional
economic integration.
81.
We endorse the APEC
Connectivity Blueprint, and submit it to the APEC Leaders for their
endorsement. We commit to implement the APEC Connectivity Blueprint and
achieve the overarching goal of strengthening physical, institutional and
people-to-people connectivity by taking agreed actions and meeting agreed
targets by 2025, with the objective of achieving a seamless and comprehensively
connected and integrated Asia Pacific.
82.
We welcome the undertaking of the
Report to Implement the APEC Connectivity
Blueprint, and encourage economies and APEC fora to draw on the report when
implementing the Blueprint.
83.
We note the
tremendous work accomplished under the APEC Finance Ministers’ Process (FMP),
including: compiling demonstrative infrastructure PPP projects for experience
sharing; formulating an implementation roadmap to guide APEC’s future work in
developing infrastructure PPP projects; strengthening capacity of pilot PPP
centers; promoting experience sharing; carrying on capacity building project of PPP
pilot demonstration and standard contract making; and, consolidating the role of the PPP Experts Advisory
Panel in supporting and guiding APEC’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) work. We
recognize
the important role of fiscal and taxation policies, and encourage all economies to promote financial services
for regional real economy in order to achieve benefit and economic
sustainability.
84.
We acknowledge
the progress made by Indonesia throughout 2014 in establishing its PPP Center
with the
support from the APEC PPP Experts Advisory Panel. We welcome the establishment of the PPP Center in
China, as a center of excellence to facilitate development of PPP projects and
institutional building at different government levels. We are willing to provide
technical assistance to the interested member economies in this endeavor on a
voluntary basis.
85.
We note with appreciation the
work of the APEC Port Service Network (APSN) to facilitate cooperation and
communication among ports and related sectors in the region. We applaud APSN's
efforts to promote green growth and strengthen connectivity in the APEC port and
related industries.
86.
We recognize
that lifecycle cost,
environmental
impacts, and
safety including resilience to natural disasters, constitute key elements of
infrastructure quality. We
welcome
the positive contribution of
the
APEC Capacity Building Seminar on Quality of Infrastructure Development and
Investment, and the APEC
Guidebook on Quality
of
Infrastructure
Development and
Investment.
87.
We
recognize the importance of people-centered investment as well as good practices
and principles should be taken into account in formulating infrastructure
development plans.
88.
We reaffirm the importance of
improving transportation systems to ease the flow of goods, people, services,
and capital through developing a transportation "Connectivity Map" and "Quality
Transport" vision, and sharing best practices in enhancing transportation
infrastructure investment.
89.
We affirm that transportation
infrastructure development, as well as safe, secure, and sustainable
transportation, is essential for the promotion of economic growth in the APEC
region. We encourage all economies to invest in new, upgraded or replacement
infrastructure, in order to meet increased transportation needs.
90.
We recognize
that strengthening cross-border education cooperation among APEC economies is a
critical form of people-to-people connectivity. We welcome progress on the Work
Plan on Promoting Cross-Border Education Cooperation, and encourage new
activities that further promote APEC cross-border education cooperation,
including by enhancing the mobility of students, researchers and education
providers, and the existing network of bilateral agreements. We commend the APEC
economies, including their participating schools and companies that have
committed to sponsoring APEC scholarships and internships this year to promote
cross-border education as well as inclusive growth in and across the region. We
urge efforts by APEC economies to contribute to the target of 1 million
intra-APEC university-level students per year by 2020.
91.
We encourage
officials to
elaborate various academic mobility schemes and mechanisms, including voluntary
implementation of the
‘Virtual’
Academic Mobility
Card, which
universities can use on a voluntary basis to facilitate knowledge sharing.
We
encourage efforts to provide
such opportunities to generally under-represented populations，and advocate further
research and best regulatory
practices on collaboration and exchanges in the field of
higher education and vocational education. We encourage economies to use
platforms such as the APEC Higher Education Research Center （AHERC）to enhance joint study, information sharing,
student and researchers mobility among APEC universities and
institutions.
92.
We support the
End-to-End Review of the present APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) Scheme, and
remain committed to its further improvement and development with our concerted
efforts. We welcome the in-principle agreement to extend the validity of the
ABTC to 5 years. We appreciate the endeavors of transitional members of the ABTC
Scheme to become full members.
93.
We are pleased
to note that the 8th APEC Tourism Ministers’ Meeting has agreed to
strive for the target of 800 million international tourists among APEC economies
by 2025. We agree with the initiative proposed by the 8th TMM to
develop tourism as a pillar industry and give priority to its development by
APEC economies. We agree that tourism cooperation is an effective way to boost
connectivity in the Asia-Pacific region and share the best examples of tourism
boosting connectivity. We agree to promote the integrated development of tourism
and other related industries as a driving force of economic growth so as to make
active contribution to value chain cooperation in the Asia Pacific
region.
Strengthening
APEC
94.
We
recognize the importance of Economic
and Technical
Cooperation
(ECOTECH) to ensure equitable growth and shared prosperity in the Asia-Pacific
region
and global competitiveness as a foundation to advance trade and investment
liberalization and facilitation. We reiterate
our commitments to ECOTECH as APEC’s main pillar in attaining sustainable growth
and equitable development in the Asia-Pacific region and in reducing economic
disparities among APEC economies. We remain committed to providing demand-driven
ECOTECH activities to help APEC economies, in particular the developing
economies, to achieve the Bogor Goals.
95.
We
agree to strengthen the prioritization and effective implementation of ECOTECH
through APEC fora. We encourage economies, particularly developed economies, to
provide more capacity
building support
and
contributions
including
to
the existing APEC Funds,
so as
to achieve our goal of bridging gaps in capacity gaps
among
economies, and help economies meet their APEC commitments and economic growth
objectives.
96.
We welcome
efforts to maintain APEC's focus on ECOTECH and instruct officials to improve
the effectiveness of the SOM Steering Committee on ECOTECH (SCE)’s work,
capacity-building and communication. We commend the progress made this year in
advancing the ECOTECH agenda and endorse the 2014 Senior Official’s Report on
Economic and Technical Cooperation.
97.
We acknowledge
ongoing endeavors to strengthen the coordination between APEC fora and to
streamline the operation of the SCE and instruct Senior Officials to continue
improving this coordination and urge APEC fora to enhance communication so as to
avoid duplication of work and maximize synergy.
98.
We welcome
China’s initiative to upgrade the Asia-Pacific Finance and Development Center to
the Asia-Pacific Finance and Development Institute (AFDI) and appreciate China's
efforts and concrete contribution to support economic and technical cooperation
and capacity building in the Asia-Pacific region. We endeavor to strengthen our
cooperation with the AFDI through our domestic institutions including our APEC
study centers.
99.
We
acknowledge the 10-year achievement of the APEC Digital Opportunity Center
(ADOC) initiative and appreciate Chinese Taipei’s efforts and contributions as
well as the cooperation of
the
10 partner member economies (PMEs) in bridging digital divides and creating
digital opportunities throughout the APEC region.
100.We endorse the Ways to Strengthen
APEC’s Synergy and Complementarity with Regional and International Cooperation
Fora and Processes, to solve complex cross-border challenges, and instruct
Officials to implement the recommendations. We welcome the
active participation and valuable inputs provided by ABAC this year on various
cross-cutting agenda in APEC.
101.We recognize
the importance of budget and management arrangements as a means to ensure APEC's
strength as an institution. In this regard, we welcome the work of APEC in
financial realignment and institutional management issues. We also welcome the
work on project management to improve capacity-building activities in APEC,
including the work by the Budget and Management Committee (BMC) to better
evaluate the impact of APEC projects.
102.We appreciate
the pivotal role of the PSU in fulfilling APEC 2014 priorities, in particular
taking the lead in the development of the APEC Connectivity Blueprint and the
report to support its implementation. We are encouraged by the increasing
contributions of the PSU to key APEC initiatives. We note that the PSU also has
provided useful contributions to the Finance Ministers' Process. We urge the PSU
to continue building up a solid body of work, including evaluating the quality
of its outputs. We reiterate our commitment to support the
PSU.
103.We endorse the
2014 Senior Officials’ Report on APEC’s work program, including the
recommendations contained therein, note the 2014 Annual Report of the APEC
Secretariat Executive Director, and approve the 2015 APEC budget and member
contributions. We welcome preparations for APEC 2015 in the
Philippines.
Annexes:
Annex A:
APEC Statement on
Promoting the
Use of Interoperable Global Data Standards
Annex B:
APEC Statement on Promoting
Renewable and Clean Energy (RCE) Trade and Investment
Annex C:
APEC
Customs 3M Strategic Framework
Annex D: Action Agenda
on Promoting Infrastructure Investment through Public-Private
Partnership
Annex E: The
APEC Strategic Plan on Capacity Building to Promote Trade and Investment
Agenda
Annex F: APEC
Initiative of Cooperation to Promote Internet Economy
Annex G: APEC
Ocean Cooperation in the Asia Pacific Region
Annex H: The
Beijing Declaration on Fighting Corruption
