APR News

The APEC Women in Transportation Task Force launched a framework to increase women’s inclusion in the transportation sector.
The framework sets up guidance for the transportation sector to promote education; remove barriers to hiring and entrepreneurship; enhance conditions for the retention of women’s talent; advocate for the development of women leaders; and encourage safe use and access to transportation systems.
Both the Asian Development Bank and International Labor Organization have estimated that women’s limited access to employment causes a loss in economic growth to the Asia-Pacific region of around USD42-47 billion each year.
Six economies have expressed interest in piloting the framework in 2016.
Press-release at the official APEC web-site

The Ministers responsible for transportation in the APEC region met in Cebu, the Philippines on October 9, 2015 to discuss a relationship between inclusive mobility and sustainable transport systems and economic growth. As Philippine Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya pointed out, “Advancing inclusive mobility means addressing the transportation requirements of all, especially those in vulnerable sectors of our society-the persons with disability, women, children, and the elderly... Improving mobility translates to increased productivity which helps accelerate economic progress”.
The Ministers emphasized the need to enhance transportation safety and security, investment in resilient infrastructure, and to promote green technologies.
The participants of the meeting heard from civil society and the private sector to provide new perspectives on transport issues.
The meeting concluded with the joint statement adoption which prioritizes seven spheres for the APEC economies, including in particular encouraging innovation in transportation systems; promoting connectivity; capacity building; women in transportation; and cross-fora collaboration, e.g. between the APEC and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and others.
2015 APEC Transportation Ministerial Meeting Joint Statement
Press-release at the official APEC web-site

The third meeting of the Russian-Indian working group on high-priority investment projects chaired by Alexey Likhachev, the first deputy of the Minister of Economic Development of Russia, and Amitabh Kant, the deputy of the Minister of Commerce and Industry of India was held on October 8, 2015.
According to Alexey Likhachev, “The Group is aimed to become an effective tool to achieve ambitious but quite attainable goal to increase accumulated mutual investments up to USD15 billion from each side by 2025. This goal is determined in our joint declaration “Drujba-Dosti” following the results of the last Russian-Indian Summit in 2014”.
The meeting was attended by the representatives of 17 largest Russian and Indian companies implementing joint investment projects, including Sistema, KAMAZ, Acron Group, JSC United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), “Concern Tractor Plants” (Machinery & Industrial Group N.V.) as well as National Mineral Development Corporation and Heavy Engineering Company.
The participants discussed the joint projects implementation and the key accomplishments, in particular SIBUR project of butyl-rubber production plant building in India; significant progress in establishing a joint investment fund initiated by Rusnano; the systematic development of Dauria Aerospace and Aniara Communications project of the GEO deployment of telecommunication devices NextStar.
A number of new projects were presented at the meeting, including Russian-Indian project in the field of satellite navigation technologies based on GLONASS. The Indian delegation presented an initiative of the National Mineral Development Corporation on cooperation with Russian companies in the field of ferrous metallurgy.
Press-release at the official Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation web-site

Russia and Laos` cooperation priorities were discussed during a working visit of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith to Russia on October 4-6, 2015.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Thongloun Sisoulith at their meeting emphasized that Russia and Laos share similar views on current issues of global politics, which makes the cooperation at regional and global forums more effective. Russia and Laos intend to continue a productive cooperation, in particular in the light of Laos` role as the coordinator of the Russia-ASEAN dialogue partnership for three next years and its ASEAN presidency in 2016.
Bilateral trade and investment cooperation is coordinated by the Intergovernmental Commission for Trade, Economic, Research and Technical Cooperation. 11th meeting of the Commission was held in Moscow in April 2015. In August 2015, the co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Commission held an interim meeting in Vientiane to discuss support for Russian investment in mineral prospecting and production, the hydroelectric industry, telecommunications, printing and other Lao sectors.
Both countries place a special emphasis on cooperation in education and personnel training. Russia has trained over 17,000 Lao professionals many of whom now hold senior level positions in government, for example, Mr Sisulit graduated from Herzen State Pedagogical Institute (now University) in St Petersburg in 1978. Currently, about 300 Laotians are studying in Russia.
Press-release at the official Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation web-site
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement and answers to media questions at a joint news conference after talks with Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Thoonglun Sisulit at the Russian MFA web-site

Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Alexey Ulyukaev and Minister of Trade of Indonesia Thomas Trikasikh Lembong during their meeting on the sidelines of G20-OECD Global Forum on International Investment emphasized that Russia and Indonesia successfully implement a number of large investment projects. For example, a project of construction of the railroad for transportation of coal and related infrastructure on Kalimantan island was included by the Indonesian government to the “top ten” priority projects. A project on modernization of the aluminum smelter in the Northern Sumatra province and construction of bauxite and alumina plant in West Kalimantan province are implemented. A project on exploitation and production of nickel ores is planned to be implemented on Sulawesi island.

Russia and Indonesia actively develop cooperation in nuclear power industry, a first phase the experimental energy reactor construction is in progress.
In June 2015 on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum Rosneft and Indonesian company Pertamina signed a Memorandum of Understanding on crude oil and oil products sale aimed at further cooperation development.
The second Russian business mission to Indonesia will be organized in the second half of November 2015 within the meeting of the working group on trade, industry and investment of the Russian – Indonesia Intergovernmental Commission.
Press-release at the official web-site of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Thailand became the 20th WTO member to formally accept the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) when it submitted its instrument of acceptance on October 5, 2015.
Thailand submitted a notification to the WTO on 23 July 2014 outlining which provisions of the TFA will be implemented immediately upon entry into force of the agreement.
The “Category A” notification of Thailand and other WTO members can be found on the trade facilitation webpage.
Press-release at the official WTO web-site

ASEAN High Level Task Force (HLTF) established in February this year completed its task of drafting a post-2015 vision for the ASEAN Community. This vision will chart the path over the next decade for enhancing and strengthening the ASEAN Community.
The HLTF, comprising senior representatives from each ASEAN Member State and staff from the ASEAN Secretariat, had ten meetings to discuss and formulate this post-2015 vision. The process included consultations with relevant stakeholders, including civil society organisations and representatives from think-tanks.
The HLTF's tenth meeting in Kuala Lumpur on October 2-4, 2015 finalised the draft vision which comprises five documents, namely the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on ASEAN Community Vision 2025; ASEAN Community Vision 2025; and three Blueprints covering the Political-Security Community, the Economic Community and the Socio-Cultural Community.
These draft documents will be submitted to the ASEAN Ministers for endorsement and subsequently tabled at the 27th ASEAN Summit to be held in Kuala Lumpur on November 20-22, 2015 for adoption.
Press-release at the official ASEAN web-site

New Zealand has become the 19th WTO member to formally accept the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). Ambassador Vangelis Vitalis submitted New Zealand’s instrument of acceptance of the TFA to WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo on September 29, 2015.
Concluded at the WTO’s 2013 Bali Ministerial Conference, the TFA contains provisions for expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit. It also sets out measures for effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate authorities on trade facilitation and customs compliance issues. It further contains provisions for technical assistance and capacity building in this area.
Press-release at the official WTO web-site

Russia intends to develop mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation on the Korean Peninsula which could be based on trilateral energy and transport projects, including the project of modernized Khasan-Rajin railway, construction of gas pipeline through the territory of North Korea to South Korea and export of Russian electricity produced in the Far East to South Korea through the territory of North Korea, - as Deputy Foreign Minister, Member of the Board of Trustees of the National Coordination Center for Developing Economic Cooperation with the Countries of Asia-Pacific Region Igor Morgulov noted in his interview to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.
Igor Morgulov emphasized that a main priority is “to implement a project Khasan-Rajin which was initially considered as a pilot part of the program of the Trans-Korean Main Line`s connection with the Trans-Siberian Railway aimed at accelerating container cargos transportation from Asia to Europe and in opposite direction”.
Full interview at the official web-site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic has become the 18th WTO member to formally accept the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). Mrs. Khemmani Pholsena, Minister of Industry and Commerce, submitted Lao PDR’s instrument of acceptance of the TFA to WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo on September 29, 2015.
In their meeting, DG Azevêdo and Minister Pholsena highlighted the importance of the TFA in reducing trade costs. Lao PDR is the second Least Developed Country (LDC) to ratify the TFA.
Concluded at the WTO’s 2013 Bali Ministerial Conference, the TFA contains provisions for expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit. It also sets out measures for effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate authorities on trade facilitation and customs compliance issues. It further contains provisions for technical assistance and capacity building in this area.
The TFA will enter into force once two-thirds of the WTO membership has formally accepted the Agreement. In addition to Lao PDR, the following WTO members have accepted the agreement: Hong Kong China, Singapore, the United States, Mauritius, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, Botswana, Trinidad and Tobago, the Republic of Korea, Nicaragua, Niger, Belize, Switzerland, Chinese Taipei, China, and Liechtenstein.
A Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility (TFAF) was also created at the request of developing and least-developed country members to help ensure that they receive the assistance needed to reap the full benefits of the TFA and to support the ultimate goal of full implementation of the new agreement by all members.
Press-release at the official WTO web-site