HANOI -- Vietnam will host the 25th Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit and related activities in 2017, said the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Wednesday on its website.
Speaking during an international seminar on APEC organization held in Vietnam's capital Hanoi, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said the hosting of APEC summit of 2017 is a focus on Vietnamese foreign affairs until 2020, presenting the determination of the country in boosting international integration and multi-lateral foreign policy.
During its 25 years of history, APEC has served as a leading economic cooperation mechanism in the region and the world, Minh said.
For Vietnam, APEC members contribute some 78 percent of foreign investment, 79 percent of foreign trade revenue, and 70 percent of foreign arrivals to Vietnam, the ministry said on its website, adding that as many as 13 out of 15 free trade agreements (FTA) that Vietnam has signed and is negotiating are with APEC partners.
The Vietnamese diplomat asked relevant agencies to coordinate to figure out initiatives for the 25th APEC hosting.
APEC is a regional economic forum established in 1989. APEC currently has 21 member economies.
Vietnam joined APEC in 1998. The country hosted the APEC year in 2006.
