Hosting 150 Apec meetings will open doors for PNG businesses

By MARK HAIHUIE
ABOUT 150 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meetings will be held on a frequent basis next year, says Apec Business Advisory Council (ABAC) PNG Secretariat chairman Wayne Golding.
He said this would be an ideal opportunity for PNG and regional businesses to capitalise on exchanges to enhance existing trade links.
He said the advisory council was the business arm of Apec.
“A lot of people think it is political gathering. It’s not. It is an economic gathering of 21 countries which represent 50 per cent of the world’s GDP and about 65 per cent of the total businesses in the world,” he said.
“PNG is very lucky to be member of that. We also trade 90 per cent of our exports through that group of countries.
“Next year, at any one point in time, almost every day of the week, there will be a meeting for Apec.
“It is estimated to be about 130 to a 150 meetings in an Apec year. So we are now focused on these meetings.
“Apec will be a great opportunity for meetings on businesses in one of the biggest economic groupings in the world.
“We want to make the most of it for PNG as well as for countries in attendance.”
It is about enhancing the links we have in place for greater business cooperation. And ABAC is heading that.”
Golding also welcomed cooperation from Queensland businesses to be facilitated next year when addressing the Trade 2018 programme team for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.