National Center for APEC

APEC Korea 2025 Conclusion and APEC China 2026

developer — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 01:05:55 +0000

As APEC enters a pivotal year, recent meetings underscored a clear message from leaders and ministers across the region: economic cooperation must evolve to keep pace with rapid technological change and profound demographic shifts.

At the APEC Summit last November, Leaders signed off on an agenda aimed at modernizing trade rules, speeding cross-border commerce, and focusing the organization on a forward-looking approach to AI adoption.

The declaration spotlights growing momentum to revitalize and update the WTO, while urging economies to move faster on practical steps that reduce friction for business. Ministerial communiqués, shaped by input from ABAC and PECC, underscore a stronger role for companies in tackling supply chain challenges and building resilience.

In business-facing outcomes, Ministers endorsed the ABAC-led APEC Centre of Excellence for Paperless Trade, signaling a push to scale digital trade tools that can cut red tape and streamline documentation across borders. Ministers also flagged the need to identify ways to use AI to facilitate trade, pointing to opportunities to improve trade efficiency through smarter processes, risk management, and compliance.

APEC Leaders also endorsed two headline deliverables from Korea focused on the region’s next wave of economic challenges and opportunities:

APEC AI Initiative (2026–2030): A multi-year plan to coordinate APEC work on AI, centered on:

supporting successful AI adoption and transformation,
building AI capacity across economies and workforces, and
fostering investment conditions for resilient AI infrastructure.

APEC Collaborative Framework for Demographic Changes: A region-wide effort to respond to aging populations and shifting labor markets by:

strengthening resilience to demographic change,
modernizing human resources development,
advancing technology-supported health and care systems,
expanding inclusive economic participation,
and deepening regional cooperation.

APEC China 2026 Planning and Priorities

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened APEC Senior Officials on December 11–12 in Shenzhen for preparatory meetings ahead of the APEC 2026 host year. The city will also serve as the site of next year’s APEC Leaders’ Meeting on November 18–19, 2026.

China selected Shenzhen to underscore its APEC 2026 themes of openness, innovation, and cooperation. Over the past 40 years, it has grown from a fishing village into one of China’s largest GDP-producing cities. To reinforce this narrative, China organized site visits to showcase major technology firms, including drone manufacturer DJI and tech behemoth Tencent.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu opened the ISOM plenary on December 12 with remarks that set the context for China’s APEC 2026 agenda which will focus on the following priorities and sub-themes:

Openness – WTO reform, regional economic integration, connectivity
Innovation – AI, digital economy, capacity-building, services
Cooperation – inclusion, sustainability, technical cooperation

Charged with leading the execution of APEC 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is taking guidance from President Xi Jinping’s written submission to the APEC CEO Summit in Korea (available here), which calls on APEC to refocus on its original mission of building an Asia-Pacific community. China will further develop its plans for specific 2026 deliverables during SOM 1. At the same time APEC will be reviewing or renewing several ongoing initiatives on topics including connectivity, services, digital economy and supply chain connectivity.

China is also planning to host several sectoral ministerial meetings beginning mid-year, including Trade, Women and the Economy, Digital and AI, Tourism, Food Security, SME, Energy, Human Resources Development, Forestry, and Finance. NCAPEC looks forward to working with partner organizations in China to hold engagement opportunities for the private sector on the margins of many of these meetings.

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2024 APEC Leaders’ Week Readout

NCAPEC — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 22:33:34 +0000

The APEC meetings in Peru concluded earlier this week. Below we identify key takeaways from the meetings, describe the regional context, highlight USG engagements in Lima, summarize the APEC outcomes and suggest some relevant reads on global trade patterns, AI, and the state of the Asia-Pacific region.

Key APEC Takeaways

Artificial Intelligence gains prominence in APEC statements and 2025 priorities
Leaders endorse sustainable finance initiative
APEC commits to deeper stakeholder engagement
China will host APEC in 2026, followed by Vietnam in 2027

Regional Context

APEC 2024 Leaders Week unfolded in Lima last week against a backdrop of the outgoing Biden administration, which has recently lost a hard-fought election, and an ascendant China, with President Xi Jinping inaugurating the $3 billion Chancay megaport near Lima—a project poised to redirect global trade away from the United States (read more about shifting trade flows in a report highlighted below). While the U.S. government and private sector formed a strong presence in Peru – in both numbers and seniority – press coverage focused on President Biden’s diminished influence and the the summit’s tone was overshadowed by concerns about the impending policy shifts under President-elect Donald Trump. Parallels to APEC 2016, which was held in Lima immediately after Trump’s first electoral victory, did not go unnoticed.

Amid the rhetoric, Biden engaged in substantive discussions with Xi, reaching agreements on maintaining human control over nuclear weapons, held a trilateral meeting with President Yoon of Korea and newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba of Japan, and held a bilateral meeting President Boluarte of Peru. Links to White House readouts of these meetings appear below.

The U.S. private sector was similarly active in Lima with seven companies sponsoring the APEC CEO Summit and over 150 delegates in attendance. U.S. APEC Business Coalition engagement with Leaders and ministers from six APEC economies during the summit demonstrated U.S. business’ commitment to engagement in the region.

U.S. Government Engagement

President Biden led a delegation of senior U.S. Government officials to Lima, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

Trilateral with Korea and Japan

President Biden, South Korean President Yoon, and Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba held a trilateral meeting focusing on the DPRK-Russia alliance, security cooperation, and missile warning systems. Emphasizing real-time data sharing and regional stability, the leaders demonstrated strong convergence on addressing shared threats and expanding trilateral cooperation across security, economic, and technological areas.Readout of trilateral leaders-level meeting

Bilateral with China

President Biden and President Xi held a candid, constructive meeting in Lima, addressing bilateral, regional, and global issues. Key topics included counternarcotics, AI safety, climate change, Taiwan, trade policies, and human rights. Both leaders emphasized managing competition responsibly, maintaining communication, and advancing cooperation while addressing areas of disagreement and mutual concern.

Readout of President Biden’s meeting with President Xi

Blinken CEO Summit Speech

After opening by congratulating NCAPEC on its 30th anniversary, Secretary Blinken used his speech at the CEO Summit to emphasize U.S. leadership in fostering inclusive, sustainable growth across the Asia-Pacific through strengthened partnerships, regional integration, and transformative investments. Highlighting supply chain resilience, clean energy, technology development, and inclusivity, he also urged businesses to collaborate on shared goals, driving innovation, equality, and prosperity for a dynamic, interconnected future.

Transcript available here.

APEC Leaders and Ministers Declarations

In Lima, APEC Leaders and Minsters issued statements that reaffirmed Member commitments to regional cooperation and set the course for future initiatives. Below are summaries of key issues highlighted in this year’s statements.

Full texts are available here:

Leaders: https://www.apec.org/meeting-papers/leaders-declarations/2024/2024-apec-leaders’-machu-picchu-declaration

Ministers: https://www.apec.org/meeting-papers/annual-ministerial-meetings/2024/2024-apec-ministerial-meeting

Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies

Promoting Sustainable Growth: Leaders recognized AI as a key tool for innovation, transforming daily life, and driving sustainable economic growth across member economies.
Regional Dialogue on AI: Officials commended ongoing policy discussions on the benefits and challenges of AI. They encourage APEC economies to continue exchanging views and contributing to international AI-related initiatives.
Responsible Development: Emphasis was placed on the responsible development and application of AI to ensure inclusive and sustainable growth.
Enhancing Connectivity: Officials highlighted the importance of digital transformation in improving regional connectivity and reducing digital divides, including the gender digital divide.
Digital Ecosystem: Leaders committed to support a fair, open, and inclusive digital ecosystem. This includes fostering trust in digital transactions through privacy and data protection measures.
Supporting MSMEs and Economic Inclusion: Digital tools and transformation were identified as enablers for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to become more competitive and integrated into global value chains.
Facilitating Trade: Digitalization of trade procedures, such as paperless trade measures, was promoted to enhance efficiency and predictability.
Capacity Building: APEC emphasized the need to enhance digital literacy and provide training to upskill and reskill the workforce for the digital economy.

Health

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Access: APEC is committed to building accessible, sustainable, and inclusive health systems to achieve UHC, with a focus on expanding access to quality services like sexual and reproductive health care.
Digital Health and Innovation: Emphasis on leveraging digital tools such as telehealth to enhance the efficiency and accessibility of health systems, while using data to adapt to future challenges and improve resilience.
Health Challenges and Preparedness: Strengthening capacities to prevent, detect, and respond to health emergencies, pandemics, and climate-related health risks, ensuring health systems are integrated with broader disaster response strategies.
Gender and Health Intersection: Focus on addressing gender-specific health issues, such as cervical cancer and mental well-being, while recognizing the compounded effects of climate change on health outcomes for vulnerable groups.

Women’s economic empowerment

Advancing Gender Equality and Reducing Barriers: APEC emphasized addressing structural barriers that limit women’s participation in the economy, including unequal access to education, employment, financial services, childcare, and technology. Efforts include advancing women’s participation in STEM and the creative economy while leveraging disaggregated data for inclusive policy development.
Intersection of Gender with Climate and Health: The documents highlight the impact of climate change and health challenges on women, advocating for gender-specific strategies in sustainability and health initiatives, including the Seattle Framework on Gender Equality and Climate Change.
Empowering Women Entrepreneurs and Traders: APEC focuses on integrating women-owned MSMEs into global value chains by promoting access to capital, markets, technology, and start-up ecosystems. Capacity-building and best practices are shared to reduce barriers for women entrepreneurs.
Concrete Initiatives for Structural Reform: Commitments include implementing the APEC Gender Equality Structural Reform Voluntary Principles (endorsed by 12 economies) and programs to enhance women’s access to trade and investment opportunities, promoting gender-responsive economic policies.

Sustainability

Advancing Clean Energy: APEC reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating clean, just, affordable, and inclusive energy transitions. This includes efforts to triple renewable energy capacity globally by 2030 and promoting low-carbon technologies, guided by frameworks such as the “APEC Policy Guidance for Clean and Low-Carbon Hydrogen Policy Frameworks.”
Food Security and Waste Reduction: Officials adopted the “Trujillo Principles for Preventing and Reducing Food Loss and Waste in the Asia-Pacific Region,” emphasizing collaboration to halve food waste and reduce food losses along supply chains.
Bio-Circular-Green Economy: Commitments were reiterated to the Bangkok Goals on Bio-Circular-Green Economy, integrating inclusivity and sustainability into trade and investment policies.
Environmental Goods and Services: APEC is advancing the trade of environmental goods and services and updated its environmental goods list to align with current international standards.
Combating Climate Change and Disasters: They recognized the profound impacts of climate change, emphasizing the integration of measures to address its effects, extreme weather, and natural disasters, while fostering biodiversity conservation and sustainable resource management.
Sustainable Finance: Launching the “Finance Ministers Process Sustainable Finance Initiative,” APEC aims to support economies in developing tools and capacity-building resources for sustainable financial practices.

Supply Chains

Advancing Supply Chain Connectivity: APEC reaffirmed its commitment to advancing Phase Three of the Supply Chain Connectivity Framework Action Plan. This plan aims to enhance supply chain connectivity, minimize the adverse effects of disruptions, lower costs, and facilitate trade and investment, with the goal of establishing secure, resilient, sustainable, and inclusive supply chains.
Addressing Supply Chain Vulnerabilities: APEC has analyzed vulnerabilities in global supply chains, exploring the impacts of recent disruptions and outlining strategies for enhancing resilience. This includes helping businesses build and maintain open, secure, and resilient supply chains.
Promoting Digitalization and Innovation: APEC encourages the use of digital tools and innovative approaches to improve supply chain efficiency and resilience. This includes promoting the digitalization of trade procedures and enhancing digital literacy to support the transition to more formal and global economies.
Strengthening Regional Cooperation: APEC officials have highlighted the importance of regional cooperation in addressing supply chain challenges. This involves sharing best practices, developing capacity-building programs, and fostering collaboration among member economies to enhance supply chain resilience.

Relevant Reads

Global Trade in Flux

This report, from NCAPEC Member Citi, outlines the global reshaping of manufacturing supply chains driven by economic, geopolitical, technological, and policy dynamics, with a focus on reducing reliance on China. Latin America and Asia are positioned to gain market share, supported by rising China-Latam trade and ASEAN and India’s reform-driven strategies. Additionally, semiconductor supply chains are undergoing critical shifts due to national security-driven policies aimed at diversifying production and curbing China’s technological advancements. Read more here:

https://www.citigroup.com/global/insights/global-trade-in-flux

AI Pioneers in APEC

This brief examines how a wide range of economies are driving broad-based economic growth and advancing AI development across three key areas: infrastructure; skilling and deployment; and supportive policy and investment environments. By showcasing noteworthy examples and establishing benchmarks for AI opportunity leadership, this brief aims to provide policymakers at various stages of their AI journey with practical insights for harnessing and developing this transformative technology.

https://publicpolicy.google/resources/ai_pioneers_apec_economies_en.pdf

PECC State of the Region Report

The Pacific Economic Cooperation Council released its annual State of the Region Report during Leaders’ Week. In two chapters, it provides an overview of economic trends, noting that GDP growth is forecast at 3.4% in 2024, with inflation moderating to 2.3%, but risks like geopolitical tensions, climate change, and supply chain vulnerabilities loom large. A second chapter focuses on ageing populations, noting that demographic trends pose fiscal and economic challenges, with technological advancements offering partial mitigation. Read more here: https://www.pecc.org/pecc/208-publications/973-state-of-the-region-2024-2025

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Three Questions with NCAPEC Board Chair Antony Cook, Microsoft

NCAPEC — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 20:02:38 +0000

In commemoration of the 30th Anniversary, NCAPEC asked Board Chair Antony Cook, Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Microsoft, three questions based on his observations of APEC and how emerging technologies and sustainability can shape the future.

1. The National Center for APEC counts Microsoft as one of its core founding members from our incorporation in 1994. From your perspective as the Board Chair, has APEC changed over the last 30 years? How?

APEC has indeed evolved significantly over the past 30 years, reflecting the changing priorities and challenges of the region. Its focus has shifted over the decades to address emerging global and regional issues. In the 1990s, the emphasis was on globalization and economic liberalization. The 2000s saw a heightened focus on human security and terrorism. The 2010s brought a drive towards environmental sustainability and inclusion. More recently, APEC has been addressing the impacts of the digital economy. APEC has adapted to the evolving economic landscape by promoting trade liberalization, economic integration, and sustainable development. The organization has also placed a stronger emphasis on digital transformation, innovation, and inclusive growth to ensure that all member economies benefit from economic progress. These changes reflect APEC’s commitment to staying relevant and responsive to the needs of its member economies, fostering a collaborative environment for addressing both traditional and emerging challenges.

2. Microsoft is at the forefront of innovation across the region. In your opinion, how is APEC useful as a platform for these groundbreaking innovations?

APEC serves as a vital platform for fostering innovation and collaboration across the region. It brings together 21 member economies, including some of the world’s most dynamic and technologically advanced nations. APEC provides a unique forum for member economies to collaborate on shared challenges and opportunities, encouraging the exchange of ideas, best practices, and technological advancements. This collaborative environment can lead to innovative solutions that benefit the entire region. Through APEC, member economies work towards harmonizing policies and regulations, which can reduce barriers to innovation. For instance, consistent data privacy and cybersecurity standards can facilitate the development and deployment of AI technologies across borders. APEC also focuses on capacity building, helping member economies develop the skills and infrastructure needed to support innovation. This includes training programs, workshops, and knowledge-sharing sessions that can enhance the region’s ability to leverage AI and other advanced technologies and encourages public-private partnerships, which are crucial for driving innovation. By bringing together government agencies, private sector companies, and academic institutions, APEC can help create a supportive ecosystem for AI research and development. Promoting free and open trade can provide innovators with access to larger markets, which is particularly important for AI startups and companies looking to scale their solutions across the region. APEC’s collaborative framework, policy harmonization efforts, capacity-building initiatives, public-private partnerships, market access facilitation, and focus on emerging technologies make it an invaluable platform for driving innovation, including AI, across the Asia-Pacific region. This collective approach not only accelerates technological progress but also ensures that the benefits of innovation are widely shared.

3. Environmental sustainability is now a core pillar of APEC. Can you tell us about Microsoft’s commitment to this topic and how the private sector can share its successes to help the APEC region reach climate goals?

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has called climate change “the defining issue of our generation.” Meeting this generational challenge requires putting sustainability at the center of our work, starting by addressing our own climate impact. We are committed to achieving our own ambitious sustainability goals, including: Carbon negative: By 2030, Microsoft aims to be carbon negative, meaning it will remove more carbon than it emits. By 2050, the company plans to remove all the carbon it has emitted since its founding in 1975. Delivering this commitment means focusing on three main areas: (1) reducing carbon emissions, (2) increasing use of carbon-free electricity, (3) carbon removal; Water positive: By 2030, Microsoft aims to replenish more water than it consumes across its direct operations; Zero waste: By 2030, Microsoft plans to achieve zero waste across its direct waste footprint, and protect and preserve ecosystems: Microsoft has committed to protecting more land than it uses by 2025 and is building a Planetary Computer to help monitor and manage the Earth’s ecosystems. However, we recognize that the world is not on track to meet critical climate goals, and we see many of the world’s challenges reflected in our own situation. We are on track in several areas, but not every area. Amid the challenges, we remain optimistic that a Net Zero future is possible. Progress is happening every day across our campuses and datacenters and throughout our value chain. Microsoft is also investing in renewable energy, promoting sustainability in its supply chain, and reducing the carbon footprint of its products. The company is transparent about its progress and challenges, sharing detailed reports and updates regularly.

The private sector plays a crucial role in advancing sustainability in the APEC region. In Asia, our primary focus is on carbon, given the significant supply chain footprint that Microsoft has across the region. Scope 3 emissions, the indirect emissions that occur as a result of Microsoft’s activities but are outside of our direct control, have represented 96% of our unaddressed emissions over the last three years. The majority of these emissions are in the APAC region. These emissions are also increasing, having risen by around 30% since 2020. The increase is primarily being driven by the construction of new datacenters and the associated embodied carbon in datacenter building materials, as well as hardware components such as semiconductors, servers, and racks. Therefore, we are engaging closely on the challenges that the world must overcome to develop and use greener concrete, steel, fuels, and chips.

We have launched a company-wide initiative to identify and develop the added measures we’ll need to reduce our Scope 3 emissions. Leaders in every area of the company have stepped up to sponsor and drive this work. This led to the development of more than 80 discrete and significant measures that will help us reduce these emissions – including a new requirement for select scale, high-volume suppliers to use 100% carbon-free electricity for Microsoft delivered goods and services by 2030. As a whole, this work builds on our multi-prong strategy, this year focusing on: a) Improving measurement by harnessing the power of digital technology to garner better insight and action, b) Increasing efficiency by applying datacenter innovations that improve efficiency as quickly as possible, c) forging partnerships to accelerate technology breakthroughs through our investments and AI capabilities, including for greener chips, steel, concrete, and fuels, d) building markets by using our purchasing power to accelerate market demand for carbon-free energy and pioneering carbon removals technologies and d) advocating for public policy changes that will accelerate climate advances.

By sharing these successes and collaborating on innovative solutions, the private sector can help the APEC region achieve its climate goals and promote a more sustainable future.

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ABAC USA recruitment open

NCAPEC — Tue, 14 May 2024 18:29:57 +0000

The terms of the current U.S. APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) Members: Dominic Ng of East West Bank, Laura Lane of UPS, and Ginger Lew of I Squared Capital will conclude at the end of this year. NCAPEC would like to thank them for the dedication they showed as advocates for the U.S. business community, particularly during the U.S. host year in 2023.

At the request of the State Department, the National Center for APEC is coordinating the search for three senior executives to represent the United States business community as members of the APEC Business Advisory Council from the beginning of 2025 through the end of 2027. The attached information sheet and letter from U.S. Senior Official for APEC Ambassador Matt Murray describe the required qualifications and outlines the time and resource commitments required for ABAC membership.

The goal of this search is to give every qualified executive willing to be an ABAC member an opportunity to declare their interest to represent the U.S. private sector and to give the White House a broad range of candidates from which to choose.

Letter from Amb. Matt Murray, U.S. Senior Official for APEC:

http://ncapec.org/library/2024_ABAC-Recruitment-Letter_State.pdf

ABAC USA Member Recruitment Information:

http://ncapec.org/library/2024_ABAC-Membership-Information.pdf

Interested executives should provide a résumé and a company profile to the National Center for APEC by June 28, 2024. NCAPEC will pass all information to the State Department for vetting and selection. If you have any questions or would like more details on the time and resource commitments, please contact Alex Parle, Executive Vice President, info@ncapec.org, to discuss the opportunity further.

Photo (L to R): Ginger Lew, I Squared Capital, U.S. ABAC Member; Kevin Ali, CEO, Organon, 2023 APEC CEO Summit Co-Chair; Al Kelly, Jr., Executive Chairman, Visa, 2023 APEC CEO Summit Co-Chair; President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.; Monica Hardy Whaley, President, National Center for APEC, Alternate U.S. ABAC Member; Dominic Ng, CEO, East West Bank, 2023 ABAC Chair; Laura Lane, EVP and Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer, UPS, U.S. ABAC Member.

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The State of APEC Supply Chains

NCAPEC — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 16:38:39 +0000

Lessons learned, key strategies to strengthen resilience

NCAPEC is pleased to present “The State of APEC Supply Chains” report, launched in conjunction with the APEC Economic Leaders Week in November 2023.

This report was prepared by Access Partnership and features insights developed through extensive consultation with lead firms across APEC and analysis of publicly available trade data. It highlights four key product segments: consumer goods, consumer technology, food, and healthcare.

This report has also received outstanding contributions from UPS and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and features insights from an exclusive survey of over 1,200 firms across 15 APEC economies to understand the current state of resilience in the four key product segments.

Read the report here.

The top 5 takeaways of the report are:

APEC’s supply chains are long, complex, and susceptible to disruptions. Comparative advantages across the APEC’s vibrant economies have led firms to optimize their supply chains, creating greater length and complexity. Supply chains across the four key product segments vary significantly in their design and operation.

Recent disruptions offer lessons for policymakers and businesses. Policy responses during the pandemic reveal a lack of understanding of how global supply chains are organized, what they depend on, and how distribution of key goods to communities happens. First-hand accounts of multinational corporations – the lead firms in supply chains – provide stakeholders an opportunity to learn and prepare for future crises.

Post-pandemic, supply chains in APEC are more resilient – but they show cracks. Across five key dimensions of resilience, the business survey revealed that firms in APEC have mostly invested in greater supply chain visibility and adjusted their business models after the pandemic. The majority remain vulnerable in terms of flexibility and connectivity.

Five strategies for APEC to strengthen supply chains. These include ensuring the flow of trade and cross-border movement are maintained during disruptions; establishing a platform for regional cooperation and future-readiness; digitizing documentation, processes and logistics services; strengthening the region’s infrastructure and transportation connectivity; and developing a framework for capacity building for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

Five strategies for firms to strengthen supply chains. These include measuring supply chain resilience today; diversifying products, customers, and suppliers; maintaining a “portfolio” of transportation options; creating more visibility, aligning with industry best practices; and joining industry advocacy efforts.

This report forms part of NCAPEC’s ongoing work on supply chain resilience. It follows the release of preliminary insights of this study at the 2^nd ABAC Meeting in Brunei in April 2023. Additional milestones in this research include the launch of an MSME Supply Chain Resilience toolkit at the 3^rd ABAC Meeting in July 2023.

Should you have any questions on this study, please contact shivin.kohli@accesspartnership.com.

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APEC 2023 Meetings in Seattle, Washington

NCAPEC — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 21:59:29 +0000

The United States held the third APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting and related meetings (SOM 3) in Seattle Washington, from July 29 to August 21, 2023. During the three-week period, the city hosted 200 meetings including six ministerials, dozens of workshops, and roundtable discussions. In total, over 3,500 delegates, representing government, business, and academia from all 21 APEC economies participated in SOM 3 related events. The National Center for APEC played a key role in facilitating engagement in the SOM 3 meetings for non-governmental attendees. Members from NCAPEC, the U.S. APEC Business Advisory Council, and the U.S. Committee for the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (US-PECC) participated in workshops, spoke on panels, and provided their expertise and perspectives at meetings throughout the month.

APEC Ministerials and Senior Officials’ Meeting

APEC SME Ministerial Meeting

Monica Hardy Whaley, NCAPEC president and ABAC USA alternate member shared a supply chain resiliency toolkit for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) at the APEC SME Ministerial. Developed in cooperation with UPS and J&J, the toolkit allows businesses to assess their supply chain resiliency across 27 indicators in areas such as supply chain flexibility, visibility, and redundancy. Access the toolkit here: https://supplychainresiliencetoolkit.ncapec.org

APEC Energy Ministerial Meeting

ABAC USA Member Giner Lew conveyed ABAC’s key recommendations to the APEC energy ministers during the 13th APEC Energy Ministerial Meeting. Business recommendations to the energy ministers include working to quickly reduce carbon emissions, prioritize reliable energy access for all, and to invest in the development of physical and digital energy infrastructure.

Third APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting

Dominic Ng, ABAC 2023 chair, informed APEC Senior Officials on the themes of the 2023 ABAC Report to Leaders, gave an update on the deliverables for the year, and discussed the outcomes of the Council’s most recent meeting in Cebu, Philippines.

Workshops and Dialogues

Energy Ministerial Public Private Sector Session

Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft welcomed APEC energy ministers to the Microsoft campus conference center for a ministerial session on the roles that public and private sectors can play in supporting APEC economies’ efforts to transition to clean energy sources.

Women’s Economic Forum: Public-Private Dialogue

ABAC USA member Laura Lane (second from left) participated in the WEF: Public-Private Dialogue on Women and the Economy. The conversation focused on women as key economic actors for all APEC economies and how investment in women leads to sustainable and inclusive economic growth and resilient communities.

Workshop in Support of Regional Cloud Transformation

NCAPEC board member companies participated in the second APEC Telecommunications and Information Working Group (TEL) Workshop in Support of Regional Cloud Transformation and contributed to the formulation of cloud principles. http://mddb.apec.org/Documents/2023/TEL/TEL67-PLEN/23_tel67_plen_017.pdf

APEC Human Resources Development Working Group’s workshop on Closing the Digital Skills Gap

Ms. Naria Santa Lucia, General Manager of Digital Inclusion for Microsoft, spoke about the importance of multistakeholder perspectives when considering AI and the future of work at the APEC Human Resources Development Working Group’s workshop on Closing the Digital Skills Gap: Promoting an Inclusive Digitally Skilled Workforce for Sustainable Growth.

30th PECC General Meeting

US-PECC organized the 30th PECC General Meeting during SOM 3. The annual General Meeting is PECC’s primary forum for developing strategic perspectives and advice for APEC. To complement the SOM 3 focus on digital issues under the moniker APEC Digital Month, the 30th General Meeting explored ways digital tools and new technologies can create innovative solutions to the region’s challenges and drive economic growth. Speakers included academics and researchers, NCAPEC board members, ABAC members, and representatives of local small businesses.

Memorable Moments

The U.S. Private Sector Host Committee, the Seattle City Host Committee, and US-PECC hosted APEC Senior Officials, PECC delegates, private sector attendees, and local minority chambers of commerce representatives for an evening reception at the Chihuly Museum.

SOM 3 and PECC General Meeting Reception at the Chihuly Museum

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell addressed APEC delegates.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee addressed APEC delegates.

APEC Energy Ministers’ Dinner

NCAPEC supported a private sector hosted dinner to welcome APEC Energy Ministers. The private sector voiced their support for the APEC Energy Ministerial themes of supporting a just energy transition, decarbonization of the power sector, advancing methane abatement policies and practices, and public-private partnerships.

The Seattle Host Committee flag raising ceremony to fly the United States’ APEC 2023 flag on the iconic Space Needle

Key APEC Seattle leaders raised the flag including (from left to right), Monica Whaley President of the National Center for APEC, Brian Surratt President and CEO of Greater Seattle Partners, Nora Todd, 2023 APEC Alternate Chair of the Senior Officials’ Meeting and Chief of Staff to the U.S. Trade Representative, Mike Pyle, Deputy National Security Advisor and 2023 Chair of the Senior Officials’ Meeting, Ambassador Matt Murray, U.S. Senior Official for APEC, Sam Cho, Commission President for the Port of Seattle, Dr. Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, and Christine Gregoire, former Washington governor from 2005-2013.

APEC Senior Official hoisted the APEC USA flag on the Seattle Space Needle during the third APEC Senior Officials Meeting cluster.

https://greater-seattle.com/2023/09/15/greater-seattle-welcomed-the-world-with-apec/

Seattle, USA. 15 Aug, 2023. Just after 6:00pm business leaders raise the APEC flag at the Seattle Space Needle. James Anderson/Alamy Live News

A visit to Blake Island, the Inaugural APEC Leaders’ Summit Location in 1993

The United States organized an evening cruise for APEC Senior Officials and delegates to see historic APEC Seattle sites. Attendees sailed by the Native American-style long house on Blake Island, a state park in the Puget Sound, and reflected on its significance as the site of the inaugural APEC Leaders’ Summit in 1993. APEC Secretariat Executive Director, Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria, and ABAC USA Member, Ginger Lew, are pictured near the Puget Sound.

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Launch of MSME Supply Chain Resilience Toolkit

NCAPEC — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 20:26:54 +0000

NCAPEC, in partnership with UPS and Johnson & Johnson, is pleased to present the MSME Supply Chain Resilience Toolkit. The toolkit was launched at the Supply Chain Resilience MSME Capacity Building Workshop on July 26, 2023, in Cebu, Philippines. The Workshop formed part of 3rd the APEC Business Advisory Council Meeting (ABAC-III).

This toolkit was prepared by Access Partnership and informed by industry best practices and extensive consultation with lead firms across healthcare, food, consumer goods, and consumer technology segments in APEC.

The toolkit may be accessed here: https://supplychainresiliencetoolkit.ncapec.org/

The toolkit is designed for micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to measure the resilience of their supply chains to future external shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and understand how they may improve their resilience through practical recommendations. It has been geared towards businesses trading in four segments across APEC: (1) Healthcare, (2) Food, (3) Consumer technology, and (4) Consumer goods.

User organizations can generate confidential profiles at the interactive dashboard for this toolkit and answer our comprehensive survey to generate their supply chain resilience reports. These reports will be organized by five “dimensions” of resilience and 27 related indicators. More information can be found in the toolkit.

This toolkit is part of NCAPEC’s ongoing work on supply chain resilience. It follows the release of NCAPEC’s study on “The State of APEC Supply Chains: Lessons Learned, Building Resilience”, launched at the 2nd ABAC Meeting in Brunei on April 27, 2023. Additional milestones in this research include the launch of a healthcare-focused segment report on the state of supply chain resilience at the Third Senior Officials Meeting (SOM3) in August 2023, and additional segment reports ahead of the APEC CEO Summit in November 2023 (TBD)

Should you have any questions on this toolkit, please contact shivin.kohli@accesspartnership.com.

The MSME Supply Chain Resilience Toolkit was developed in partnership with:

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“The State of Healthcare Supply Chains in APEC” report launched at SOM 3

NCAPEC — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 17:15:35 +0000

NCAPEC is proud to have developed “The State of Healthcare Supply Chains in APEC” report which launched at the Third APEC Senior Officials Meeting (SOM3) on 2 August 2023.

READ THE REPORT: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vu0qa8v8ssjtllmrikh4l/NCAPEC-State-of-Healthcare-Supply-Chains-Single.pdf?rlkey=l41sp1vjgbjbkz2x6da2hyl9v&dl=0

This report was prepared by Access Partnership and informed by extensive consultation with leading firms in the healthcare segment. In particular, the report has outstanding contributions from Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and UPS. It also features an exclusive survey of over 300 healthcare firms across 15 APEC markets to understand the current state of resilience.

The top five takeaways of the report are:

Healthcare supply chains in APEC are highly integrated and susceptible to disruptions. Supply chains display significant vertical integration and specialisation. The pandemic and ensuing logistics constraints created significant coordination challenges.
Supply chains are resilient – but they show cracks. Surveyed firms have invested heavily in building visibility over supply chains and incorporating robust business practices, but lack flexibility in terms of products, customers, suppliers, and transportation options.
The pandemic offers important lessons for the future. APEC and policymakers can harmonize regulations, expedite cross-border flows, and shore up trade infrastructure. Businesses can invest in transparency, reorient distribution models, and focus on flexibility.
Five strategies can help APEC to foster resilient healthcare supply chains. These include establishing trade and movement of essential personnel as key priorities, creating APEC-level response guidelines, speeding up physical and digital connectivity, encouraging economy-wide taskforces for supply chain flexibility, and supporting capacity building for MSMEs.
Five strategies for healthcare firms to bolster supply chains. These include measuring supply chain resilience today, focusing on flexibility and diversification, creating more visibility, aligning with industry best practices, and joining industry advocacy efforts.

This report forms part of NCAPEC’s ongoing work on supply chain resilience. It follows the release of NCAPEC’s study on “The State of APEC Supply Chains: Lessons Learned, Building Resilience,” launched at the 2nd ABAC Meeting in Brunei on 27 April 2023. Additional milestones in this research include the launch of an MSME Supply Chain Resilience toolkit at the 3rd APEC Business Advisory Council Meeting (ABAC-III) in the Philippines last week and additional segment reports ahead of the APEC CEO Summit in November 2023.

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Vice President Harris Announces APEC USA 2023 Economic Leaders’ Meeting and CEO Summit Site

NCAPEC — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 05:21:42 +0000

(Bangkok, Thailand – November 16, 2022) – Vice President Kamala Harris announced that San Francisco, California will host Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Week and the CEO Summit in 2023.

The two-day CEO Summit will enable meaningful engagement on open trade and investment, resilience, economic inclusion, sustainability and digital transformation across the Asia-Pacific.

This news follows the announcement of the host cities for the first clusters of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Senior Officials’ and Ministerial meetings, which include Honolulu, Hawaii in December; Palm Springs, California in February; Detroit, Michigan in May; and Seattle, Washington in July and August.

Read the Vice President’s full remarks here and follow additional APEC 2023 updates on social media (Twitter + LinkedIn).

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NCAPEC Launches APEC USA 2023 Private Sector Host Committee To Advance U.S. Economic Engagement in the Asia-Pacific

NCAPEC — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 22:15:25 +0000

Inaugural committee members include Amazon, Citi, ExxonMobil, FedEx, Google, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Mastercard, Meta, Microsoft, Moody’s, Organon, Qualcomm, UPS and Visa

(Washington D.C. – September 14, 2022) – In anticipation of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) USA 2023 host year, the National Center for APEC (NCAPEC) is proud to announce the launch of the APEC 2023 Private Sector Host Committee.

As the only U.S. business organization exclusively focused on APEC, NCAPEC is excited to provide unparalleled opportunities for business executives to forge connections with global leaders and senior government officials throughout the year. Under the auspices of the Host Committee, NCAPEC will create opportunities for the private sector by developing industry-driven events that coincide with the APEC 2023 meetings, culminating in the APEC CEO Summit in fall 2023.

Since its inception in 1989, APEC has been the premier platform and incubator for innovative ideas addressing fair and open trade and investment policies. The adaptive structure of APEC, which includes direct engagement with the private sector and other stakeholders, ensures that the forum stays timely and relevant as trends in business and technology emerge and transform commerce in the region.

Each year, more than 1,500 high-level private sector representatives gather with senior government leadership to strengthen diplomatic ties and identify new ways to unlock economic opportunity, prosperity and growth. The global health, economic, and social challenges over the past several years have underscored how critically important these conversations and convenings are for bolstering public-private collaboration and fostering fair, open, inclusive and sustainable growth.

“APEC 2023 presents a unique opportunity to create a strong platform for governments to engage key stakeholders across the 21 economies that comprise APEC,” said Matt Murray, U.S. Senior Official for APEC at the U.S. Department of State. “Public-private collaboration is critical to deepen and expand our economic ties with the fastest-growing region in the world, including in the areas of trade and investment, innovation, sustainability, and inclusive growth.”

The 2023 Host Committee includes corporate leaders from across the country representing diverse and dynamic industries and sectors, including executives from Amazon, Citi, ExxonMobil, FedEx, Google, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Mastercard, Meta, Microsoft, Moody’s, Organon, Qualcomm, UPS and Visa. The Host Committee is co-chaired by Mary T. Barra, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors; Alfred F. Kelly, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Visa; and Kevin Ali, Chief Executive Officer of Organon.

“At General Motors, we are on a path to transform mobility and prove that technology and innovation, when driven by purpose, can change the world. Cooperation between the U.S. and the Asia Pacific region is essential to global connectivity, and APEC member economies are key to GM’s vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion,” said GM CEO Mary T. Barra. “I am proud to serve as a co-chair for the APEC 2023 Private Sector Host Committee. I look forward to engaging with APEC leaders on bolstering trade, securing critical supply chains, and advancing technologies that will enable GM’s vision for a safer and more sustainable world.”

“Visa and our partners across APEC are working to build an inclusive digital economy and create greater prosperity and opportunity for everyone, everywhere,” Visa CEO Alfred F. Kelly added. “We welcome the opportunity for the U.S. to host APEC in 2023, bringing together economies across the region and demonstrating a commitment to further strengthening trade and economic ties in the Indo-Pacific.”

Organon CEO Kevin Ali echoed his sentiments, stating: “APEC continues to demonstrate that economic cooperation and dialogue are critical for advancing growth and prosperity for the region, so I am honored to serve as a co-chair of the APEC 2023 Private Sector Host Committee. We at Organon look forward to working with all stakeholders to support APEC’s commitment to increasing the health and wellbeing of people in the region, with a specific focus on equity and reducing the health-related barriers that women face.”

With the U.S. hosting APEC for the first time since 2011, NCAPEC looks forward to creating robust opportunities for business and government representatives to share meaningful and productive exchanges on policy priorities and best practices that can drive trade and achieve resilient and inclusive growth.

As U.S. Representatives David Schweikert (R-AZ) and Rick Larsen (D-WA), co-chairs of the bipartisan APEC Caucus, said in a joint statement: “the U.S. has an opportunity to help set an ambitious agenda that emphasizes free and fair trade along with investment that promotes jobs and economic growth and raises standards, including for labor, the environment, infrastructure and digital trade.”

In addition to engaging with heads of state, policy makers and subject matter experts from the U.S. and across the Asia Pacific region, the Host Committee members will have the opportunity to work strategically alongside the NCAPEC team in shaping the narrative of the APEC CEO Summit USA 2023 and defining broader private sector priorities. They will also guide dialogue around the urgent challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region and the world, and develop initiatives to address climate change and sustainability, supply chain resiliency, global health, digital connectivity, and women’s empowerment.

“We are privileged to have stakeholders from diverse disciplines and are excited to explore and provide opportunities throughout the year for them to engage with government and communities around the U.S., and with our global partners,” said Monica Hardy Whaley, President of NCAPEC.

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About APEC

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific. APEC’s 21 members aim to create greater prosperity for the people of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth and by accelerating economic integration in the region.

About NCAPEC

The National Center for APEC (NCAPEC) is a U.S. business association dedicated to advancing private sector policy priorities in the dynamic Asia-Pacific region. NCAPEC works closely with its membership of approximately 50 U.S. Fortune 500 companies to create opportunities to engage with key policy makers to discuss the trade, investment, and regulatory issues that impact the growth and development of the Asia-Pacific region. NCAPEC also collaborates with business associations in other APEC economies to build broad private sector coalitions to bolster the impact of our efforts.

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