KhanhHoa (VNA) – A wide range of issues were deliberated duringmeetings held in Nha Trang, the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa, on February28 within the framework of the first APEC Senior Officials Meeting (SOM1) andrelated meetings. Atits meeting, the Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI) re-examined the workplans in 2017 of subordinate working groups such as Chemical Dialogue (CD),Life Sciences Innovation Forum (LSIF), Intellectual Property Rights ExpertsGroup (IPEG) and Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC). Delegatesfrom the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum also shared newinitiatives that can be implemented in the coming time, focusing on fosteringthe participation of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the globalvalue chain, dialogues on regulations of origin, and enhancing the capacity ofnegotiating free trade agreements. Asa committee coordinating the APEC trade and investment liberalization agenda,the CTI put forth initiatives and solutions that are crucial to promotingeconomic connectivity amid slow global economic and trade growth. Meanwhile,the Economic Committee (EC) debated the building of the APEC Economic PolicyReport 2017 with the theme of “Structural reform and human resource development.” Delegatesattending the EC meeting re-examined the APEC Structural Reform Agenda and theAPEC Ease of Doing Business Action Plan for 2016-2018, and at the same time,proposed a number of new initiatives. At the meeting, Dr Vo Tri Thanh, a representativeof the Vietnamese delegation, briefed the participants on Vietnam’s recent economicsituation and development prospects in the future. Thanh noted that it is now a turning-pointin Vietnam’s reform process, adding that domestic reform and internationalintegration is connected more closely. Vietnam needs to change its developmentmodel and create a firm foundation to overcome the middle income trap facingregional economies, he suggested. During the SOM SteeringCommittee on ECOTECH (SCE) Meeting, the chair of its subordinate working groupspresented an action plan for 2017 that was approved in meetings in recent days,and highlighted activities that contribute to the implementation of fourpriorities in APEC Year 2017. The SCE alsodeliberated the performance of capacity enhancement policy with the aim ofproviding more resources, experience and expertise for developing economies todeploy their commitments and take full advantage of APEC cooperationopportunities. The Ad HocSteering Group on the Internet Economy (AHSGIE) wrapped up its activities todayafter endorsing steps to build an Internet Economy Roadmap scheduled forcompletion by the end of 2017. This was the final event of working groupswithin SOM1 and related meetings.-VNA