Jakarta (ANTARA) – China is pushing for an agreement to implement the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) at this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum to strengthen regional economic cooperation amid growing global trade uncertainties.
Business representatives have also voiced support for the initiative, urging APEC members to take concrete steps to reduce trade barriers and facilitate cross-border business operations.
“We have heard strong calls from the business sector to reinforce openness,” Chair of the 2026 APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting Chen Xu said during the forum in Dalian, China, according to a press release received here on Friday.
“This includes advancing early deliverables toward the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, strengthening regional connectivity, and fostering closer public-private cooperation,” he added.
The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) recommended accelerating the digitalization of cross-border trade, strengthening supply chain cooperation, and improving access to digital infrastructure.
The council also encouraged the development of responsible and innovation-friendly artificial intelligence (AI) to enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and developing economies to participate more actively in the digital economy.
In addition to discussing these recommendations, delegates conducted the first five-year review of the Aotearoa Plan of Action, which guides the implementation of the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040.
The review aims to ensure that APEC’s collective actions better address developments in AI, demographic changes, energy transitions, and cybersecurity, while continuing to strengthen supply chain resilience, digital trade, connectivity, and capacity building.
APEC Secretariat Executive Director Eduardo Pedrosa urged the next phase of cooperation to focus on generating tangible economic impacts.
He expressed hope that the outcomes of the Dalian meeting would translate into concrete measures to make the Asia-Pacific region more competitive, resilient, and prepared for future challenges.
“APEC is at its best when cooperation translates into practical improvements in how our economies connect, trade and respond to change,” Pedrosa said.
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Reporter: Uyu Septiyati Liman
Editor: Primayanti
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