HANOI -- Foreign and trade ministers or representatives from the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ( APEC) member economies began their two-day gathering in Vietnam's capital Hanoi on Wednesday to make final preparations for the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (AELM) slated for November 18-19.

The following is a brief introduction to APEC's 17 previous ministerial meetings:
As a major part of APEC's decision-making mechanism, the ministerial meeting has been commissioned with preparations for the APEC leaders' meeting. It is also tasked with the implementation of the resolutions adopted by the AELM and overseeing discussions of important economic issues in the region.

The first APEC ministerial meeting was held on the initiative of then-Australian prime minister Robert Hawke, in Canberra, Australia, in November 1989. The session set the course for APEC as an open regional economic cooperation forum devoted to global trade liberalization, the promotion of trade, investment and technical cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. The meeting marked the official launch of APEC. Since then, the ministerial meeting has become an annual event.

The second ministerial meeting was held in Singapore in July 1990. After deliberations on issues like world and regional economic developments, APEC work projects and future participation, the meeting adopted a number of important documents, including the "Declaration on the Uruguay Round."

The third meeting held in South Korean capital Seoul in November 1991 marked the first enlargement of the 12-body group.

China, China's Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei were accepted as new members. The "Seoul Declaration" finalized APEC's objectives of developing and strengthening the open multilateral trading system, reducing barriers to trade in goods and services and investment.

The fourth ministerial meeting was held in Bangkok, Thailand, in September 1992. The meeting decided to set up a permanent APEC secretariat in Singapore.

The fifth meeting was held in Seattle, the United States, in November 1993. The meeting adopted the "Declaration on an APEC Trade and Investment Framework." Mexico and Papua New Guinea were admitted into the group.

The sixth ministerial meeting was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, in November 1994. The ministers adopted the "Declaration on the Human Resources Development Framework," which confirms the principles and elements of human resources development in APEC.

The seventh APEC ministerial meeting was held in Osaka, Japan, in November 1995. Ministers formulated plans of action for the implementation of the Bogor Goals and approved "Partners for Progress." They also agreed to establish the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC).

The eighth APEC ministerial meeting was held in Manila, the Philippines, in November 1996. The ministers approved a draft of " Manila Action Plan for APEC" and the "Declaration on an APEC Framework on Strengthening Economic Cooperation and Development."
The ninth ministerial meeting was held in Vancouver, Canada, in November 1997. The meeting reaffirmed the importance of economic and technical cooperation, trade and investment liberalization, and adopted an annex on "Early Voluntary Sectional Liberalization" and "APEC Ministerial Statement on Membership."

The 10th meeting was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in November 1998. A joint statement of the meeting set reviving economic growth in the region as one of APEC's major tasks. The ministers also endorsed the documents of the "APEC Blueprint for Action on Electronic Commerce," "The 1998 APEC Agenda for Science and Technology Industry Cooperation into the 21st Century" and " The Kuala Lumpur Action Program on Skills Development."

The 11th ministerial meeting was held in Auckland, New Zealand, in September 1999. The main themes of the meeting were expanding business opportunities, strengthening markets and broadening support for APEC. The ministers endorsed the documents of "APEC Principles to Enhance Competition and Regulatory Reform," "Non- binding Principles on Government Procurement" and "APEC Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Electrical and Electronic Equipment."

The 12th APEC ministerial meeting was held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, in November 2000. The central theme of the meeting was trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, the strengthening of the multilateral trading system, human resources development. There were also three broader themes -- building stronger foundations, creating new opportunities and making the APEC matter more to its member economies.

The 13th ministerial meeting was held in Shanghai, China in October 2001. Under the theme of "Meeting New Challenges in the New Century: Achieving Common Prosperity through Participation and Cooperation," ministers from 21 APEC members discussed the issues of trade liberalization, economic and technical cooperation, financial cooperation and human resource exploitation. The meeting also passed a joint statement which included APEC's stand on the global economy, resumption of a new round of WTO negotiations, APEC strategy on development of information industry and sustainable development.

The 14th meeting was held in Los Cabos, Mexico in October 2002. The theme for APEC 2002 was "Expanding the Benefits of Economic Cooperation for Growth and Development.
Implementing the Vision." Held in the context of continuing recovery from the previous year' s economic slow down, including the impact of September 11, the meeting focused its discussion on counter-terrorism and economic growth. The ministers said in their joint statement that all kinds of terrorism had posted a direct threat to economic stability and regional peace and security of the Asian-Pacific region.

The 15th meeting was held in the Thai capital of Bangkok in October 2003. During the two-day meeting, ministers conducted intensive consultations on diversified issues including economic and technical cooperation, trade and investment liberalization and anti-terrorism cooperation.

The 16th ministerial meeting was held in the Chilean capital of Santiago in November 2004. The ministers "reiterated the commitment of each APEC member economy to fight terrorism and secure trade flows."

The 17th ministerial meeting was held in South Korean port city of Busan in November 2005. The ministers pledged in a joint statement issued afterward to take concerted measures to facilitate free trade and combat avian influenza, terrorism and corruption.