The August Review

APEC, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, is the primary intergovernmental vehicle used in promoting global free trade and investment growth between its 21 national member-economies. Presently, APEC membership includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong-China, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, The Republic of the Philippines, The Russian Federation, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, United States of America, and Viet Nam. These combined APEC member-economies account for more than a third of the world’s population, 47% of the world’s trade, and approximately 60% of the global GDP.