The 14th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, a long awaited event of the APEC Year 2006, opened in Hanoi on November 18. Among issues to be discussed and approved at the meeting, the Hanoi Action Plan is expected to chart a new course of development for APEC member economies and businesses in the coming years.

Party leader Nong Duc Manh, State President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received and held talks with Brunei's Sultan, RoK President, Australian Prime Minister, New Zealand Prime Minister, Canadian Prime Minister in Hanoi on November 17.

The 14th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) and APEC related-activities have attracted the attention of the Vietnamese people and countries in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as politicians in France and over European countries. At the opening of an exhibition on Vietnam in the Chevilly-Larue city in the south of Paris, France recently, Mayor of the city, Christian Hervy, granted an exclusive interview with VOV reporter on the great event.

State President Nguyen Minh Triet has called on businesses from the Asia-Pacific region to come and invest in Vietnam - a dynamic, peaceful and open country and a potential destination for all to do business.

Vietnam has made special efforts to ensure the success of the 14th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting - the biggest event it has ever hosted, China Radio International said on November 15.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem announced the successful results of the meeting at a press briefing in Hanoi on November 16. He said APEC ministers focused their discussion on the resumption of the Doha Development Agenda negotiations, APEC structural reform, anti-corruption, disaster preparedness and the fight against bird flu.

The 4th APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) concluded its meeting on November 16 after two days’ sitting. In 2007, ABAC will continue to give priority to small-and medium-sized enterprises.

Cooperation among APEC member economies has showed encouraging developments in both content and scale. Cooperation programmes have been well implemented, which reflects the importance of APEC to the economy of the region and each member, says Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Gia Khiem.

Vietnam considers foreign businesses as an indispensable part of the Vietnamese economy. The Vietnamese government and local administrations are willing and ready to help investors do business in the country, says Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

APEC plays an important role in Vietnam’s economic development as it makes up 70 percent of the country’s exports and 73 percent of total foreign direct investment, says Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.