"We reaffirm the importance of addressing trade investment and regulatory barriers for SMEs, and support efforts to enhance SMEs` global competitiveness, business ethics, and their participation in Global Value Chains," Chairman of APEC Minister Related to Trade (MRT) meeting Gita Wirjawan said here at the closing of the meeting, Saturday.
One of the efforts made by APEC this year was in the area of Small and Medium Enterprises, including youth and women entrepreneurs, Minister Gita Wirjawan said.
During the 2012 APEC SME Ministerial Meeting in Saint-Petersburg, Russia, the SME Ministers recognized that internationalization was an integral part of sustainable growth of SMEs and MEs.
The development of trade relations between SMEs in the Asia-Pacific region is a driving force towards a common goal of integration and development of the economic potential of APEC.
The APEC SME Ministers agreed that advancing SME cooperation for innovative growth can be enhanced through promoting start-ups, considering it is the most important stage of entrepreneurship.
The development of start-ups in the APEC region would help facilitating job creation and has the potential to increase international trade that benefits APEC member economies.
Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan, previously on Saturday (April 20), said that APEC was also a forum which can bring benefit to people`s welfare.
"We need to increase our support to small and medium enterprises, women entrepreneurs and farmers by giving them more access to technology, capital, market and a more enhanced logistic system," the Minister said
The APEC MRT meeting held in Surabaya on April 20-21, 2013 has issued a concluding statement that outlines collective solutions for addressing challenges that could impact the Asia-Pasific`s economy among others to continuing support for the multilateral trading system through MC9, promoting connectivity and achieving sustainable growth and equity
On the APEC MRT meeting, the ministers also reiterated their commitment to continuously attaining the Bogor Goals of free and open trade and investment towards 2020.
(A059/A014)
Reporter: A.E.S Wicaksono
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
