SCED attends APEC Ministerial Meeting held virtually (with photo)
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Under the theme for APEC China this year - "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together", Mr Yau at a discussion session highlighted that member economies must act together through enhanced dialogue and co-operation to achieve shared prosperity amid an ever-changing landscape and rapid technological advancement.
Citing digital transformation as an example, Mr Yau said that practical co-operation will continue to be required among member economies to harness their respective strengths in digital technologies in a people-centred and inclusive manner. Domestically, Hong Kong is strengthening its research capacity in frontier technologies, and launching programmes to promote public awareness and responsible use of AI. Hong Kong looks forward to sharing its experiences and engaging in mutual learning with other member economies in these areas.
Meanwhile, Mr Yau called on member economies to continue to strengthen connectivity in various areas, enabling the efficient flow of goods, services, capital, and people, while narrowing development gaps and creating opportunities for all sectors across the region. He added that any of the co-operation among member economies should continue to be guided by the Putrajaya Vision 2040 and the Aotearoa Plan of Action.
At another discussion session, Mr Yau shared his insights on how to enhance economic integration for new growth in the region. Noting that enhancing economic integration has been the core objective of APEC, he said that one of the directions is to continue to advance the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP).
"As part of Hong Kong's wider efforts to contribute to the FTAAP agenda, we have been actively seeking early accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. We welcome the establishment of the Accession Working Group for Hong Kong in September this year, and hope that our accession could inject fresh impetus into advancing the FTAAP agenda," Mr Yau said.
Mr Yau also highlighted the importance of enhancing co-operation to deal with the seismic changes in the trade landscape. As technological advancement is increasingly transforming the conduct of international trade, deepening co-operation on this front is critical to promoting cross-border trade and investment. He said that to this end, Hong Kong fully supports the proposed Trade Digitalization Cooperation Framework as a guiding document for future co-operation.
In addition, Mr Yau stressed that the multilateral trading system must remain the foundation of regional integration and international trade. "We call on member economies to continue supporting the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s reform agenda, incorporating plurilateral initiatives into the WTO framework, finding a permanent solution for the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions, and facilitating the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce," he said.
Ends/Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Issued at HKT 0:03
Issued at HKT 0:03
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