Duterte prepares for ASEAN, APEC meets

DAVAO CITY , Philippines — President Duterte is preparing for his participation in the 37th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Leaders Summit virtual meetings next week.

And the following week, the President will take part in the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) 2020 Leaders Meeting, also via virtual conference.

The ASEAN Leaders Summit would be held in Hanoi, Vietnam while the the APEC Leaders Meeting is set in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia but the vital regional conferences shall be in digital formats or virtual meetings amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Duterte is expected to participate in three engagements in the  virtual ASEAN Leaders Summit on Nov. 12 and again on Nov. 14 and 15.

And then on Nov. 20, the President is likewise expected to participate in the virtual meeting of the leaders of the 21 member-economies of APEC.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to be the main topic to be tackled by both ASEAN and APEC leaders.

Malaysia as the host of APEC this year has announced that the 2020 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting will take place on Nov. 20. This will be the first time economic leaders from APEC’s 21 member-economies will meet virtually.

“We applaud Malaysia’s commitment and leadership this year despite the uncertainties and challenges brought by the pandemic,” said APEC Secretariat executive director Dr. Rebecca Sta. Maria. “APEC officials are working hard, continuing engagement and collaborating digitally across eight different time zones. We are looking forward to the first-ever virtual Leaders’ Meeting and the important and relevant deliverables that will be announced this November.”

APEC economic leaders are expected to produce a declaration reflecting Malaysia’s theme of “Optimizing Human Potential towards a Resilient Future of Shared Prosperity: Pivot, Prioritize, Progress.”

Leaders are also expected to set a new vision which will guide the forum’s work in the next decades. The new vision will build on APEC’s goal of free and open trade and investment, known as the  Bogor Goals, whose deadline is this year.

Leading up to the Leaders’ Meeting, foreign ministers and trade ministers from APEC member-economies will come together for the annual APEC Ministerial Meeting, which will be held on Nov. 16 and chaired by Mohamed Azmin Ali, Malaysia’s Senior Minister and the Minister of International Trade and Industry.