Vietnamese State President Luong Cuong joined leaders and heads of delegations from APEC member economies, along with special guests, at the first plenary session of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Gyeongju, the Republic of Korea, on October 31, according to a report from the Vietnam News Agency.
The session focused on measures to enhance trade and investment amid global volatility and to strengthen public–private partnerships in order to unlock the private sector’s potential for inclusive and sustainable growth.
Addressing the meeting, President Cuong underscored the importance of deepening regional connectivity and bolstering the resilience of APEC economies—particularly developing economies—against external shocks and the disruptive impacts of rapid technological change.
He called on APEC to address key bottlenecks in regional supply chains and infrastructure by accelerating digitalisation of customs procedures, upgrading transport, logistics, and IT systems, and harmonising cross-border data and payment regulations, while also narrowing the technological gap among member economies.
The Vietnamese leader also urged stronger trade and investment cooperation through the implementation of multilateral trade agreements under the World Trade Organization (WTO). He stressed the need to support the private sector, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in gaining better access to capital, technology, and markets, and in enhancing their governance capacity to thrive in the digital economy.
President Cuong reaffirmed that as the host of APEC 2027, Vietnam will work closely with other member economies and partners to deepen regional economic integration, promote green growth, and foster a favourable environment for cooperation and development—toward building an Asia-Pacific region of peace, stability, and shared prosperity.
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