KHÁNH HÒA - The first Senior Officials’ Meetings (SOM1) and related meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Forum continued on Monday in Nha Trang City, south central Khánh Hòa province, with a series of events.
Delegates from 21 APEC member economies attended the Economic Committee Meeting, the Policy Partnership on Food Security Meeting, the Ocean and Fisheries Working Groups Meeting, the Committee on Trade and Investment Meeting and the Budget and Management Committee – SOM Steering Committee on ECOTECH Joint Meeting.
Meanwhile, the Ad Hoc Steering Group on the Internet Economy Meeting and the Ocean and Fisheries Working Group – Policy Partnership on Food Security Joint Meeting began their first working day.
Taking place from February 18 to March 3, the APEC SOM1 and related meetings comprise 56 meetings, workshops and dialogues of 38 APEC committees and working groups.
Under the theme “Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future”, delegates are expected to discuss priorities for the 2017 APEC Year on promoting sustainable, innovative and inclusive growth, regional economic connectivity, competitiveness of small-and medium-sized enterprises and micro-enterprises in the digital era, food security, and climate change adaptation.
The APEC forum includes 21 members - Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the United States and Việt Nam - which account for a combined 39 per cent of the world’s population and 59 per cent of the world’s gross domestic product.
The forum focuses on three pillars, namely trade and investment liberalisation, business facilitation and economic and technological co-operation.

VN climate change response impresses APEC

APEC delegates on the same day expressed high appreciation of Việt Nam’s experiences in strengthening food security and promoting sustainable agriculture as it responded to climate change.

The praise came at a meeting of the regional bloc’s Working Group on Food Security Policy, said Trần Đại Nghĩa, head of the Institute for Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development.

The three-day meeting (February 25-27) was part of the first APEC SOM1 underway in Nha Trang City, Khánh Hòa Province.
Nghĩa said Việt Nam was one of the economies vulnerable to climate change, facing disasters like drought, saline intrusion, prolonged flooding and cold fronts.
In order to adapt to climate change, farmers in the central province of Ninh Thuận have switched to apple, grape and garlic cultivation. In the Mekong Delta province of Sóc Trăng, shrimp breeding in brackish water has been a way to adapt to saltwater intrusion.
Such moves have added value to farm produce and contributed to the sustainable development of Vietnamese agriculture, he said.
Patrick Edward Meran, a US official, also praised Việt Nam’s thorough preparations and sound proposals made at the meeting.
He said he hopes for positive outcomes from the High-Level Dialogue on food security and sustainable agriculture in response to climate change that is scheduled for this August in the Mekong Delta city of Cần Thơ. — VNS