Apec members to meet in Vietnam
Finance ministers and central bank governors of the 21 members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum will gather in Hanoi on Monday for their 13th meeting, a senior Vietnam-ese government official said on Wednesday.
Tran Xuan Ha, Vietnam's deputy finance minister, said the meetings would address global and regional economic and financial challenges and cooperation among Apec countries.Ha said at a press briefing that the delegates would focus on two themes: promoting public-finance efficiency and sustainability; and attracting capital flows via financial-sector reform. "Making the financial systems transparent and preventing money laundering will be among the topics to be discussed next week," said Ha. "This occasion will create opportunities for Vietnam to boost its global image and promote multilateral and bilateral cooperation." He said Vietnam would also share information and learn more about financial-management experience with other countries in the areas of tax and customs reform. Apec members held their first meeting of finance ministers in 1993, and Vietnam attended the meetings officially from May 1998. Ha said the meetings would be held in three stages next week: a draft committee meeting on Monday; meetings of deputy finance ministers and deputy central-bank governors on Tuesday and Wednesday; and official meetings of finance ministers on Thursday and Friday. - Dow Jones Newswires, Hanoi.
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