APEC officials discuss possible free trade area for Asia-Pacific
Senior officials of APEC economies as well as experts and scholars have discussed the possibility of establishing a free trade area of the Asia-Pacific along with its potential impacts and difficulties facing the process. The workshop on realising FTAAP was held in Nha Trang, the south central province of Khanh Hoa, on February 25 as part of activities of the APEC First Senior Officials’ Meeting and related meetings. The FTAAP was first mentioned in the statement of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meetings in Hanoi in 2006. Last year, APEC leaders released the Lima Declaration on FTAAP, which emphasized the role of APEC in proposing contents related to such a free trade area with a view to gradually realise the idea.
