U.S. to lead APEC in 2023
On February 10, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced the U.S. will chair APEC in 2023 with Peru following as chair in 2024. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki welcomed the news stating, “It is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration to serve as a strong, reliable partner to APEC economies and identify common ways to unleash economic opportunity, prosperity, and growth for us all.” With less than nine months before the chairmanship begins, NCAPEC will continue developing plans for private sector engagement for 2023 with a series of meetings for members in early May.
ABAC I
The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) held a hybrid meeting from February 15-18 in Singapore, marking the first in-person gathering of ABAC members in two years. NCAPEC President Monica Hardy Whaley led the U.S. delegation as an alternate ABAC member and served as an acting co-chair of the Council. On February 16, ABAC members participated in a dialogue with Senior Officials focused on advancing the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific and sustainability. New U.S. APEC Senior Official Matt Murray joined the dialogue virtually.
SOM 1
The first cluster of Senior Officials’ and Related Meetings (SOM) provided Thailand an opportunity to detail their priorities and objectives for 2022 under the theme of “Open. Connect. Balance.” From February 14 – 24 APEC officials participated in over 25 online meetings, culminating in the first gathering of APEC Senior Officials in 2022. U.S. Senior Official for APEC Matt Murray and Assistant USTR for Japan, Korea and APEC Affairs Michael Beeman represented the United States. The 11-day series of meetings included sessions focused on Thailand’s priorities related to the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP), reopening borders, and the bio circular green economy.
Thailand is planning to hold the second round of Senior Officials’ and Related Meetings in person in Bangkok from May 9 – 18. The annual APEC Minsters Responsible for Trade Meeting (MRT) will follow on May 21-22.
Thailand’s 2022 Priorities
OPEN – Refreshed Discussion on FTAAP
Thailand will lead renewed discussions on the realization of the FTAAP with a post-COVID-19 lens, identifying issues previous FTAs left behind, such as environmental preservation, supply chain resilience, women’s economic empowerment, and protection of workers. ABAC Members and trade ministers will hold a dialogue and release a joint statement on the FTAAP at the MRT.
CONNECT – Reopening Borders
The APEC Safe Passage Task Force, which APEC created last year to serve as a clearinghouse for all of its reopening borders proposals and discussions, met for the first-time during SOM I. The task force brings together representatives from the Transportation Working Group, Health Working Group, Tourism Working Group, the Business Mobility Working Group, and ABAC for discussions on ways APEC can facilitate the safe resumption of cross-border travel by complementing initiatives underway in other international organizations and fora.
The following proposals were made at the meeting:
- Non-Binding Principles for the Interoperability of Vaccination Certificates in the APEC Region (Australia)
- Establishing a Safe and Sustainable Future for Travel in the Better Normal (Philippines)
- Proposal for a more inclusive APEC Business Travel Card (Thailand)
- APEC Information Portal for Safe Passage Across the Region (Thailand)
- Interoperability of Vaccination Certificates – Sharing of Technical Specifications (Thailand)
- Terms of Reference for an APEC PSU study on COVID-19 and Cross-Border Mobility in the APEC Region: Addressing Uncertainties at the Border.
BALANCE – Sustainability
A key 2022 priority for Thailand is the promotion of the bio-circular-green (BCG) economic model. To further these efforts, APEC held a Policy Dialogue on Understanding the Bio-Circular-Green Economy Model for Strong, Balanced, Secure, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth in the Asia-Pacific. APEC officials identified challenges and opportunities of the BCG model in supporting APEC’s sustainable economic growth objectives across existing workstreams, including agriculture and food systems, energy efficiency and resiliency, and resource management. The discussion will assist Thailand in drafting the Bangkok Goals on BCG Economy, which will affirm APEC Economic Leaders’ commitment to pursue a more balanced, sustainable, and inclusive recovery from COVID-19 and achieve long-term environmental and climate objectives.
The key elements of the Bangkok Goals include issues:
- Climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience and net zero carbon emissions
- Sustainable trade and investment
- Sustainable management of resources
- Conservation of the environment and biodiversity
- Waste management / zero waste
NCAPEC Executive Roundtable
On March 23 NCAPEC held its annual Executive Roundtable to bring together government and business leaders from Thailand and the United States, NCAPEC members, and thought leaders for meaningful discussions on the APEC 2022 strategies and objectives. In addition to hearing about the 2022 Thai and U.S. Government priorities, attendees participated in panel sessions on the digital economy, expanding economic opportunity, trade and workers, and sustainability. The Roundtable is a launch point for setting the private sector policy priorities for APEC 2023.
