The 11th Economic Leaders Meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) forum concluded in Bangkok on Tuesday with the
adoption of a joint declaration calling for restarting the Doha
Round of multilateral trade talks and enhancing human security
through strengthened and better-coordinated anti-terror
efforts.
In the "Bangkok Declaration on Partnership for the Future"
readout by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the economic
leaders agreed to strengthen partnership not only to liberalize and
facilitate regional trade and investment, but also to protect
peoples and societies against threats to their security, while
preparing them to benefit fully from free and open trade.
In the declaration, the leaders addressed concerns in three
major aspects -- promoting trade and investment liberalization,
enhancing human security and using APEC to help people and
societies benefit from Globalization.
On promoting trade and investment liberalization, the leaders
voiced "strong support" for continuing negotiations to move forward
the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) under the auspices of the World
Trade Organization (WTO).
On enhancing human security, they committed themselves to take
"all essential actions," and agreed that transnational terrorism
and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) pose
direct and profound challenges to APEC's vision of free, open and
prosperous economies.
They agreed to increase and better coordinate counter-terrorism
activities.
As to using APEC to help people and societies benefit from
globalization, the economic leaders promised to step up efforts
tobuild knowledge-based economies, and voiced support for science
and technology innovation, the upgrading of English-language and
computer skills among the workforce for effective use of the
Internet.
The declaration was adopted after the leaders concluded their
two-day meeting, which wrapped up the APEC annual meetings this
year. Chile is to host next year's APEC events.
(Xinhua News Agency October 21, 2003)