Jakarta (VNA) - Over nearly three decades, cooperation of APEC member economies has brougt benefits to the Asia-Pacific region, and each member economy has contributed to APEC's common goals of building a dynamic and harmonious Asian-Pacific community. Vietnam News Agency correspondents has talked the issue with Desra Percaya, Director General for Asia-Pacific and Africa Affairs under the Indonesian Foreign Ministry.

Following is the full text of the interview.

Q: APEC member economies are attempting toliberalise and open trade, investment, accelerate regional economicintegration, encourage economic and technical cooperation, and promote theformation of a good and suitable business environment. How do you assess thisprocess?

A: APEC has gone a long way since itsinception, and APEC member economies have been able to make substantialprogress in many areas. For nearly three decades, APEC has contributed tosustaining growth and advancing economic integration in the Asia-Pacificregion, created millions of jobs and lifted hundreds of millions out ofpoverty.

One of the main drivers of suchprogress is the “Bogor Goals” of free and open trade and investment in theAsia-Pacific, adopted by APEC Leaders when Indonesia hosted and chaired APEC1994.

Since then, the Bogor Goals haveinspired Member Economies in their pursuit for sustainable development andequitable growth. This is done through policies which are aimed at enhancingtrade and investment flows through economic openness.

Some of the progress towards the BogorGoals are:

Tariff rates are much lower relative tothat in the 1990s.The number of Regional Trade Agreements/Free Trade Agreements(RTAs/FTAs) inforce has soared since early 2000s. Many sectors are moreaccessible to foreign investment and services trade thanbefore.Indicators ontrade and investment facilitation have improved over time. Living standardshave improved. Enrollment in tertiary educationhas increased significantly. Access to electricity hasexpanded. Poverty has fallen significantly.

Certainly, there is still more workthat APEC Economies can do to improve existing trade and investment conditions,as progress has been uneven across the region, while inequality andunemployment persist.

In general, APEC has been advancingtowards the right direction, as trade and investment openness has beenaccompanied by socioeconomic improvements within the region.

Q: Do you assess thechallenges APEC members will have to face to achieve their goals of promotingsustainable and prosperous economic growth in the Asia - Pacific region?

A: We live at a time when the regional andglobal landscapes have experienced complex and fundamental shifts, as well asfar-reaching challenges. For example, the Fourth Industrial Revolution and advancements in technology have been altering our nature of work. They aretransforming our societies and the way we connect and interact.

We also note that although the regionaland global economic recovery is on a firmer footing, the medium and long-termrisks are skewed to the downside. APEC economies, as well the global economies,are encountering intertwined and multi-dimensional issues.

Another challenge is the impact ofglobalisation. While deepening globalisation and expanding trade and investmenthave brought unprecedented prosperity in the Asia Pacific region, not allgroups and individuals have benefited equally from this process.

These are the “unfinished business” weneed to address. With the Bogor Goals expiring in merely three years, we needto accelerate our efforts towards the achievement of the targets, as wellprepare ourselves beyond the Bogor Goals.

In this regard, I expect that theupcoming APEC Summit in Vietnam will adopt the “post-2020 Vision”, which willguide APEC’s future directions and assert its leadership in addressing commonchallenges.

Q: How does Indonesia assess Vietnam'sinitiatives and role in the forum as well as Vietnam's hosting of theAPEC Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum 2017 (APEC)?

A: Indonesia supports APEC Vietnam 2017priorities under the theme “Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future”.The priorities are very much related to the ongoing and emerging challengestoday, as well as to APEC’s works to promote growth and regional economicintegration.

For example, the priority of “promotingsustainable, innovative, and inclusive growth” is crucial for APEC, as we needto address challenges such as persistent inequality and unemployment, enduringmulti-dimensional poverty, and the impacts of technological progress. Vietnam’s initiative to launch the “Action Agenda on Advancing Economic, Financial,and Social Inclusion in the APEC Region” is very much in line with thisimportant priority.

Vietnam has thus far successfullyplayed its leadership role in promoting other important initiatives, such asthose on human resources development in the digital age; the strategy forgreen, sustainable and innovative MSMEs; and on promoting innovative start-ups.Indonesia commends and supports these timely initiatives. We see them ascrucial parts of APEC’s works in addressing today’s challenges.
Vietnam’s APEC 2017 priorities arealso closely related to Indonesia’s. This year, Indonesia is focusing on theissues of promoting the agenda of rural development and poverty alleviation,fostering maritime cooperation, improving connectivity, and strengthening themicro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Vietnam as Chair and HostEconomy has done its best to accomodate our interests and priorities during thedeliberations this year.

As we are getting closer to the Summit,we stand ready to work collaboratively with Vietnam and other Economies inrealising a successful APEC year.-VNA