介绍:
Alan Oxley，澳大利亚墨尔本皇家理工大学APEC研究中心主任点评APEC国家的亚太自由贸易区。（News有文稿，评论请泛听）
As the APEC meetings kick off this week in Beijing, a roadmap for a Free Trade Area in the Asia-Pacific tops the agenda
A series of meetings among senior APEC officials has already begun.
Luo Laiming tells us more.
Reporter:
Senior officials from the 21 APEC member economies are attending the two-day meeting, hosted by China's vice foreign minister Li Baodong.
Alan Bollard, the Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, says the meeting touches upon key agendas including drawing a roadmap for the proposed Free Trade Area for the Asia Pacific.
"Today in the officials' meeting, we are talking about all the projects that have bee carried out through the year, that are now coming together for final agreement. So far, we've talking about the Free Trade Area for Asia Pacific, global supply chains,we also want to talk about regulatory reform and we are going to talk about connecting the economies of the region."
The concept of FTAAP was initially proposed in 2004.
Earlier this year, China proposed to launch a feasibility study on the subject in a bid to press for economic integration in the region.
Zhang Lijun, Chairman of the China APEC Development Council, says a FTAAP will help to consolidate numerous regional free trade deals.
"There are so many bilateral or multilateral free trade agreements within the region, which has led to what we call the Spaghetti Bowl Phenomenon. That is, the interweaving of all sorts of preferential trade policies has led to vicious competition. That is not so beneficial. So, through FTAAP, we hope to build up a unanimously accepted trade agreement. With such an agreement, you know, we will have a more unified tariff within the Asia-Pacific region".
Currently, there are 56 different FTAs in the Asia-Pacific region.
Back Anchor:
That was Luo Laiming reporting.
