APEC Trade Related Ministerial Meeting To Be Held In Surabaya

Surabaya, East Java , April 19 (Antara) - The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Trade-Related Ministerial meeting is to be held at JW Marriot Hotel, here, April 20-21, 2013. The meeting will be participated in by delegates from 19 out of APEC`s 21 economic members, namely Vietnam, Hongkong, South Korea, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Chinese Taipei, China, Mexico, Malaysia, Canada, Russia, the United States, New Zealand and Australia. Representatives from four organizations namely ASEAN, WTO, the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) and the secretariat of APEC are also expected to attend the Surabaya meeting. Indonesia`s Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan will chair the meeting. About 10 trade ministers and nine vice ministers from APEC economies have confirmed their attendance at the Surabaya meeting. They include Vietnam`s Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang, South Korea`s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Sang-jick Yoon and Singapore`s Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang. Other leaders who will be attending the meeting are Thailand`s Minister of Commerce Piramol Charoenpao, Japan`s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Toshimmitsu Motegi, Chile`s Vice Minister of Trade Alvaro Jana, China`s Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng, Mexico`s Minister of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo Villareal, Canada`s Minister of International Trade Edward Daniel Fast, Russia`s Deputy Minister of Economic Development Alexey Likhachev, New Zealand`s Minister of Trade Tim Groser and Australia`s Minister for Trade and Competitiveness Craig Emerson. Earlier Minister Gita Wirjawan said Indonesian delegation during APEC meetings in 2013 will propose the inclusion of its crude palm oil, rubber and forestry products in APEC`s environmentally friendly good`s list. The request is expected to reduce export tariff to below five percent as what has been agreed among APEC economies.