APEC meeting urges efforts in attaining three priorities

BALI, Indonesia - The two-day APEC ministerial meeting concluded here Saturday calling for joint efforts in advancing the three priorities set up to ensure robust economic growth and resilience in Asia Pacific region.

In a joint statement issued at the end of the meeting, APEC ministers assessed progress made in 2013 and discussed the way forward for APEC to fulfill member economies' role as the engine of the global growth.

"We reaffirmed our commitment to keep market open and to refrain from raising new barriers to investment or to trade in goods and services," the statement said.

On meeting the goal of trade and investment liberalization, the ministers pledged to take steps to push for achievement of a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific.

They highlighted the importance of assisting developing economies to achieve the Bogor Goals by 2020 while working to ensure the benefits of liberalization are shared by all.

To promote connectivity, the participants endorsed the multi- year plan on infrastructure development and investment that aims to assist economies to improve the investment environment, promote public-private partnership and enhance government capacity and coordination in preparing and executing infrastructure projects.

"We encouraged efforts to cement partnership involving government, private sector and international institutions to explore and improve infrastructure financing and investment," the statement added.

It also stressed increased efforts towards achieving sustainable growth with equity to guarantee a better quality of growth, through strengthening cooperation in the areas of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, women's economic empowerment, health, food security, renewable energy and others.

The meeting was co-chaired by Marty Natalegawa, minister of foreign affairs of Indonesia and Gita Wirjawan, minister for trade of Indonesia.