(VOVworld) – A number of plenary sessions of the 22^nd APEC Summit were held in Beijing, China on Tuesday. At the first session, leaders of 21 APEC members discussed increasing regional economic connectivity, one of APEC’s 3 priorities for cooperation in 2014. The leaders agreed to enhance APEC’s role in supporting sustainable growth, maintaining prosperity, and promoting an open trade and investment environment in the Asia-Pacific region. Chinese President Xi Jinping said China contributed 10 million USD to implementing APEC’s programs to raise the capacity of other developing APEC members.

Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang said Vietnam appreciated and supported the approval of measures to boost the implementation of the Bali package and trade and investment facilitation and liberalization. He proposed that to ensure effective regional connectivity member countries should unite to achieve sustainable growth, implement Millennium Development Goals, and map out a post-2015 agenda as well as measures to cope with global challenges. He added that APEC should strengthen economic-technical cooperation and support capacity raising for member developing nations, particularly in new generation economic and trade issues. The Vietnamese President said that Vietnam was becoming an active nucleus in Southeast Asia and bridging ASEAN inland countries with ASEAN island countries. After completing negotiations on 15 free trade agreements by 2020, Vietnam will become an important link of a large economically connected network, which includes 18 APEC members. These will lay a firm foundation for Vietnam and other APEC members to strengthen regional connectivity and enhance APEC’s role in an Asia-Pacific region of peace, stability, development, and prosperity.

At the second plenary session on innovative development, economic reform and growth, APEC leaders pledged support for boosting economic restructuring, upgrading traditional sectors, and tapping new potentials for economic growth. President Truong Tan Sang said Vietnam was accelerating economic and growth model restructuring towards achieving sustainable growth, adding that Vietnam would cooperate with other APEC members to promote innovative development and economic reform and growth.

After the plenary sessions, the 22^nd APEC Summit approved 2 statements on the Beijing Agenda for an Integrated, Innovative and Interconnected Asia-Pacific and Shaping the future through the Asia-Pacific Partnership. Delegates also endorsed the Beijing Roadmap for APEC’s Contribution to the Realization of a Free Trade Agreement in Asia-Pacific, the APEC Strategic Blueprint for Promoting Global Value Chain Development and Cooperation, the APEC Accord on Promoting Innovative Development, Economic Reform and Growth, and the APEC Connectivity Blueprint between 2015 and 2025.

The 22^nd APEC Summit concluded on Tuesday with member countries pledging to work together for an integrated, innovative and interconnected Asia-Pacific. The next summit will be held in the Philippines next year. President Truong Tan Sang left Beijing for Vietnam on the same day.