VNCPEC: Vo Tri Thanh Appointed as New Chair

Dr. Vo Tri Thanh is the new Chair for the Vietnamese committee for PECC. Dr. Vo is currently the senior expert of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM).

Dr. Vo mainly undertakes research and provides consultation on issues related to trade liberalization and international economic integration and macroeconomic policies. His other areas of interests include institutional reforms, financial system and economic development. He has received a bachelor of science from the Moscow State University, and a master's degree and PhD in economics from the Australian National University.

He takes over the position from Mr. Vu Tien Loc, former VNCPEC Chair.

Managing the Blue Economy (Seminar 3): Future of Ports and Shipping in the Asia-Pacific | Auckland, New Zealand | December 5-7, 2016

Development of ports and new maritime routes are crucial elements to enhance connectivity and opportunities for economic growth in the Asia-Pacific. The region’s economies depend heavily on maritime trade enabled by reliable, efficient and cost-effective shipping. 

This project is led by the France (Pacific Territories) committee for PECC (FPTPEC) and it consists of a set of three seminars. It focuses on the contribution of the maritime dimension to intra-regional connectivity, sustainability and drivers of growth for the PECC economies and small island states. Under the broad theme of ‘Managing the Blue Economy,’ priority attention has been given to factors leading to the emergence of new trade flow patterns, the associated trade routes, and optimization of port operation capabilities to cope with the ups and downs in trade volumes and tourism throughout the region.

The third and final seminar in the ‘Blue Economy’ series will be held on 5-7 December 2016. Following on from the...

FPTPEC: Pascal Lamy Appointed as New Chair

Mr. Pascal Lamy has been appointed the new chair of FPTPEC in a letter from the French Prime Minister Mr. Manuel Valls, dated August 30, 2016.

Mr. Lamy was the Director General of World Trade Organization (WTO) during 2005-2013 and the European Commissioner for Trade during 1999-2004 under the European Commission President Mr. Romano Prodi. He is currently the President emeritus of the European Institute Jacques Delors in Paris as well as the Commissioner in charge of preparing the bid for Paris to host the 2025 World Expo.

Mr. Lamy began his career in the French civil service at the General Inspectorate of Finance and at the Treasury.  In 1981 he became advisor of the Minister of Economy and Finance, Jacques Delors, then Deputy Head of Prime Minister’s Pierre Mauroy cabinet in 1983. Between 1982 and 1994, Pascal Lamy was Head of the President of the European Commission’s Cabinet, Jacques Delors, and its sherpa at the G-7. He succeeds Mr. Michel Rocard, the former Prime Min...

APEC SOM Dialogue: APEC Toward 2020 and Beyond | Lima, Peru | August 26, 2016

Co-organized by 2016 APEC SOM (Senior Official Meeting) Chair's Office (Peru) and PECC

[Photo credit: Courtesy of APEC Secretariat]

Program agenda

In 1994, APEC’s Economic Leaders committed to achieve the goal of free and open trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific by no later than 2020. Less than five years before this deadline, APEC finds itself within an increasingly crowded international architecture and operating in a more complex and dynamic region. Combined, these factors not only compel us to boost our efforts to achieve the Bogor Goals, but also to start developing a post-2020 vision that identifies and anchors itself in APEC’s unique value-add. 2020, an iconic year for APEC, therefore presents an opportunity to redefine and reinforce APEC’s role. And to get this right by 2020, we need to start the conversation now.

Peruvian Vice President Mercedes Araoz delivered a keynote speech at the Dialogue and acknowledged having been part of PECC's Trade Policy Forum to work on C...

Policy Dialogue: Sharing Economy, Services Trade and Global Production Value Chain | Singapore | June 11, 2016

The Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) in cooperation with the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) organized a policy dialogue on behalf of the APEC Group on Services to explore the ways in which technology is changing how companies deliver services; and the way in which the policy and regulatory environments in which these companies operate need to respond to these changes.

Watch video from the workshop (YouTube)

The event brought together entrepreneurs in the technology sector with regulators, policy-makers and experts to understand the opportunities brought by the digital revolution and how to expand services trade and investment.

The purpose of the Workshop was to:

• Understand how changes in technology are opening up new markets for services, as well as goods;
• Consider the extent of opportunities for business to expand trade by utilizing new technologies;
• Consider the cross-cutting nature of the digital economy and consider government policy reforms to maximize the be...