With the Aotearoa Plan of Action to be implemented for Putrajaya Vision 2040 during the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting last year, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Lim Ban Hong will join all APEC Trade Ministers at the 28th APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.
The meeting to be chaired by Jurin Laksanawisit, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce of Thailand will be the first ministerial meeting to be hosted by the Kingdom of Thailand in its capacity as APEC 2022 host.
During the annual meeting, Datuk Lim will highlight the importance of intensifying regional collaboration in reviving the economies as well as harmonising APEC’s approach to implement seamless and safe travel due to the opening of borders and lifting of health protocol measures. He will also be deliberating Malaysia’s view on advancing the progress of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) as well as the Multilateral Trading System.
The MRT meeting in its entirety will deliberate on recovery efforts through amplified structural reforms, a digital economy, and cross-border travel connectivity that are inclusive and sustainable. The Director General of WTO is expected to share WTO’s ongoing work and progress leading up to the long-awaited Ministerial Conference. At the end of the MRT meeting, APEC Ministers are set to endorse the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting Joint Statement 2022, pledging regional commitment in the spirit of equal partnership, shared responsibility and mutual respect to organise meaningful actions driven by the shared vision to be “open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community by 2040, for the prosperity of all our people and future generations”.
As part of APEC’s continuous engagement with the private sector, Datuk Lim will also be participating in the MRT-ABAC Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) centred on the FTAAP in the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond on 21 May 2022. APEC Ministers, together with the ABAC Representatives will be exchanging views on FTAAP and other related areas in preparation to ensure a resilient and sustainable Asia-Pacific region. The engagement also signifies active collaboration between APEC Ministers with the private sector.
