PECC mourns the death of Senator Adlai Stevenson III

PECC mourns the death of Senator Adlai Stevenson III, who passed away on 6 September 2021 at the age of 90. He was a past president of the U.S. Committee of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council. He served in the US Senate from 1970 to 1981 representing the state of Illinois.

Adlai E. Stevenson III, served in numerous business and public policy related capacities, including Chairman of SC&M Investment Management Company, founder and a Director of Hua Mei Capital Company (the first Sino US financial intermediary and Chairman of Midwest US China Association. He was the author of the Black Book which records American politics and history as his family knew it over five generations of active engagement starting with Lincoln in central Illinois. In May 2016, the Black Book was published by the China Academy of Social Sciences Press in China and renamed: American History and the Story of the Black Book. (http://www.adlai3.com)

“Former Senator Adlai Stevenson was a visionary and dedi...

28th PECC General Meeting Concludes

The 28th PECC General Meeting concluded on 22nd July 2021. The event was hosted by the New Zealand Committee of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (NZPECC) on the theme of “Implementing the Putrajaya Vision: Revitalising the Regional Economy and Ensuring Sustainable and Inclusive Societies”. The 2- days conference provided valuable insights and in-depth discussions from distinguished speakers and panellists, focusing on 4 key themes:

1. Challenges of the COVID recovery: Managing COVID and the Challenges of Reviving Regional Growth
2. Rebuilding Support for Open Trade
3. The Emerging Issues in the Digital Economy
4. Climate Change

The Pacific Economic Cooperation Council elected Ambassador Zhan Yongxin, Chair of the China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (CNCPEC) as International Co-Chair. Prior to joining CNCPEC, Amb. Zhan held various governmental positions such as Second Secretary, Department of International Organizations and Conferences, MFA, and Ambassador ...

PECC Statement for 3rd APEC Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting

On behalf of PECC Co-Chairs, Mr. Eduardo Pedrosa, Secretary-General of PECC attended the 3rd APEC Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting virtually on 16 June 2021. This meeting is pivotal not only because it will set forward APEC’s further work on structural reform for the next 5 years, but also its relative importance to the overall APEC agenda.

PECC’s statement to the ministers identified 5 key action areas that needed to be addressed in APEC’s next phase of work on structural reforms::

1. Promotes structural reform to achieve well-functioning, transparent and competitive markets;
2. Recognises the importance of structural reform for progressing liberalisation, facilitation and expansion of services and agricultural trade, and in facilitating the freer, more efficient flow of foreign investment;
3. Embraces a strong commitment to deeper regulatory cooperation and development of compatible standards to improve connectivity and efficient investment in infrastructure;
4. Underlines how struct...

APEC Trade Ministers Act to Boost Vaccine Production

PECC co-chairs Dr Richard Cantor and Ambassador Zhan Yongxin represented the Council at the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting. During the meeting Dr Cantor spoke on behalf of the co-chairs noting that “Last month we met with our PECC executive committee to discuss developments in the region, and there was an unambiguous message from our members that the economic recovery remains fragile with several economies in our region suffering from 2nd or 3rd waves of infections.”

Dr Cantor continued to say that “the region’s most urgent priority is to cooperate on vaccinating as many people as we can, as quickly and as equitably as we can because this will ultimately facilitate the movement of people and the opening of our economies.”

PECC has five recommendations to address the COVID-19 pandemic:

1. We call on APEC to adopt practical measures to ensure the accessibility and affordability of COVID-19 vaccines in all economies.
2. While manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 vaccines ha...

27th PECC GENERAL MEETING CONCLUDES

The 27th PECC General Meeting concluded on 17 December 2020. The event was hosted by the Malaysian National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (MANCPEC) on the theme of “Optimizing Human Potential Towards Future of Shared Prosperity and Sustainability in Times of Covid-19.” Ambassador Don Campbell, international co-chair of PECC said that how we respond to the Covid-19 crisis was a defining moment of our age. While we were in a moment of danger, we were also in a moment of opportunity to address issues that we had thus far failed to address – such as sustainability and inequality.

Mr. Herizal Hazri, Chief Executive, Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), and Chair, Malaysia National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation reflecting on the discussions over the course of the General Meeting said that it is clear that there we have many challenges facing us due to Covid-19, but it is also clear that many of these questions have been with us for decades – how...