Issued by the APEC Committee on Trade
and Investment
Jeju, Republic of Korea, 11 May
2025
Trade and investment officials from the 21
APEC member economies gathered in Jeju for the second
meeting of the Committee on Trade and Investment, laying
critical groundwork ahead of next week’s APEC Ministers
Responsible for Trade Meeting.
Amid persistent global
economic uncertainty, the meeting underscored APEC’s
enduring role in maintaining open and predictable trade and
investment systems.
Under Korea’s host year theme of
“Building
a Sustainable Tomorrow: Connect, Innovate, Prosper,”
members discussed how APEC can support the multilateral
trading system, and reviewed concrete proposals to advance
the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP) agenda,
boost digital trade, strengthen supply chain resilience and
connectivity, and deepen cooperation on sustainable and
inclusive growth initiatives.
“In Jeju, APEC
economies came together with a clear mission: to advance
technical work so our ministers can deliver strong,
collective outcomes next week,” said Christopher Tan,
Chair of the Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI).
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“As
we head toward the Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting,
the spirit of collaboration remains our strongest asset.
APEC thrives when we work together—constructively,
inclusively and with purpose,” Tan added.
Among the
key items discussed were Korea’s flagship deliverables for
2025, including the APEC Artificial Intelligence Initiative
and the Collaborative Framework on Demographic Change. The
AI initiative aims to drive economic growth and resilience
by enhancing AI readiness, strengthening institutional and
workforce capacities, and catalyzing investment in
sustainable digital infrastructure.
The demographic
framework, meanwhile, seeks to address region-wide
challenges such as aging populations and labor shortages
through cross-border collaboration, human resource mobility
and structural reforms.
The meeting also heard updates
from the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC),
which called on economies to support the multilateral
trading system with the WTO as its core. ABAC reiterated the
importance of the Investment Facilitation for Development
Agreement, the E-Commerce Agreement and the establishment of
a permanent E-Commerce Moratorium.
The council also
emphasized the need for early FTAAP deliverables, greener
trade practices and inclusive policies that champion
universal economic participation and empower women and small
businesses, as well as the establishment of a Centre of
Excellence for Paperless Trade.
Another highlight was
the discussion on the Implementation Plan for the Lima
Roadmap (2025–2040), a regional strategy to support
informal economic actors in transitioning to the formal and
global economy. The plan encourages APEC economies to align
policies and capacity-building efforts to foster
entrepreneurship, digital access, and financial
inclusion.
Members also deliberated on advancing the
FTAAP agenda, with the CTI holding its first policy dialogue
under the Ichma
Statement that discussed on how APEC can improve trade
facilitation amongst members as well as increase the
convergence of regional trade agreements. Members discussed
proposals on capacity building, paperless trade, digital
trade and support for women participation in global value
chain.
Looking ahead, outcomes from this meeting will
directly inform ministerial discussions on 15–16 May in
Jeju, where APEC trade ministers are expected to chart the
region’s path on priorities such as WTO reform, inclusive
digital trade, and regional economic
integration.
