By Leanne Jorari – EMTV News, Port Moresby
Following in the heels of the second Senior Official Meetings, Trade Ministers from APEC economies convened this morning for the 24th Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting.
The two-day meeting will allow for a dialogue on free trade in the region and the challenges that may come with it.
The ministers gathered this morning with the resolve to send a message of solidarity to the global economy, that the APEC region believes in a free, fair, non-discriminatory and inclusive multilateral trading system.
Additionally, with the advent of technology, another issue on the agenda is digital trade and the new set of challenges this could present.
In his opening remarks, Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade; Rimbink Pato, said that though these new tools for commerce create more opportunities for the regions MSME’s, they also present new challenges and there would have to be a balance between facilitation free flow of data while protecting consumer data and security.
It will take a cooperative effort to manage the challenges.
He also urged the individual governments to remain committed to inclusive economic growth.
