Ninth APEC Ministerial Meeting Joint Statement Vancouver, November 21-22, 1997

November 22, 1997

Ministers from Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; the People's Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; the Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; the Republic of the Philippines; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; and the United States of America participated in the Ninth Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministerial Meeting convened in Vancouver, Canada on 21-22 November 1997. Members of the APEC Secretariat were also present. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat, the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), and the South Pacific Forum attended as observers. The meeting was co-chaired by the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada and the Honourable Sergio Marchi, Minister for International Trade for Canada. Ministers welcomed the first "APEC Results Report" which highlights the achievements of all APEC fora in 1997.
In reviewing these results and achievements, Ministers underscored the value of cooperation in strengthening economic growth and prospects for the region. They reaffirmed their commitment to pursue trade and investment liberalization, facilitation initiatives, and economic and technical cooperation. They agreed that the recent financial turbulence in the region reinforced the importance for APEC economies to lay the foundation to realize their longer-term growth potential which remains exceptionally strong. To this end, Ministers strongly endorsed a forward-looking approach to ensure that the benefits of open economies are fully realized.

Trade and Investment Liberalization and Facilitation
Economic and Technical Cooperation
Deepening the spirit of community
Organizational and Budget Issues
Membership and Participation Issues
Early Voluntary Sectoral Liberalization Annex to the Ministers' Joint Statement
APEC Ministerial Statement on Membership

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