Summary Report - Concluding Senior Officials’ Meeting 2011.docVIP

ASIA–PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION CONCLUDING SENIOR OFFICIALS’ MEETING FOR THE TWENTY-THIRD APEC MINISTERS MEETING 8-9 November 2011 Summary Conclusions The concluding Senior Officials’ Meeting (CSOM) for the Twenty-Third APEC Ministers Meeting was convened in Honolulu, Hawaii, on 8-9 November 2011. Senior Officials from Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; the People’s Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; the Republic of the Philippines; Russia; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; the United States and Viet Nam participated in the meeting. The Chairs of the Budget and Management Committee (BMC), Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI), Economic Committee (EC), SOM Steering Committee on ECOTECH (SCE), APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), and the APEC Secretariat were present. I. OVERVIEW SOM Chair opened the meeting by welcoming attendees and summarizing the major outcomes from the third SOM in September. Issues discussed fell under the three main priority areas of work for 2011: (1) strengthening regional economic integration and expanding trade; (2) promoting green growth; and (3) advancing regulatory cooperation and convergence. The agenda (2011/CSOM/001) was adopted with no objection or comments. APEC Business Advisory Council ABAC reported that it was only a half day into its current ABAC meeting, but noted work completed since ABAC’s third meeting in Peru. ABAC will review two studies, one on services and one on supply chain chokepoints, and continue to work on them through 2012. ABAC highlighted the importance of infrastructure investment over the next ten years to sustain growth in the region. ABAC emphasized four areas in its letter to APEC Leaders: 1) regional economic integration; 2) small and medium enterprises (SMEs); 3) sustainable economic growth; and, 4) job creation. ABAC expressed appreciation for opportunities to receive input throughout