APEC Trade Ministers Urged to Support Multilateral Trading System for Regional Economic Integration

2026-05-22 19:35 Last Updated At：19:48

SCED calls on APEC member economies to join hands in promoting regional economic integration

The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, called on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies' continued support for the multilateral trading system to deepen regional economic integration at the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting in Suzhou today (May 22).

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SCED calls on APEC member economies to join hands in promoting regional economic integration Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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SCED calls on APEC member economies to join hands in promoting regional economic integration Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speaking at the session entitled "Build an Open and Predictable Regional and Multilateral Trade and Economic Order", Mr Yau said that against the backdrop of uncertainty and rising protectionism, the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core provides the much-needed stability, transparency and predictability to international trade.

Mr Yau called on fellow trade ministers to build upon the progress achieved at the WTO 14th Ministerial Conference and expedite follow-up work on those important outstanding issues, such as WTO reform, the extension of the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions and the continuation of the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce. He also encouraged all APEC member economies to join the Agreement on Electronic Commerce so as to build the momentum for its eventual incorporation into the WTO legal framework.

Mr Yau noted that APEC member economies have been pursuing trade liberalisation through various means, and the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) is one of the long-term visions for deepening economic integration in the region. As the global trade landscape has undergone unprecedented changes since the idea of the FTAAP was first discussed some 20 years ago, Hong Kong fully supports the country's efforts this year to develop an FTAAP document to inject new impetus into the initiative and to demonstrate APEC's ability to lead by example.

Mr Yau stressed that as part of its efforts to contribute to the FTAAP agenda, Hong Kong is actively seeking early accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

He said he looks forward to RCEP's next major milestone in setting up the Accession Working Group for Hong Kong as soon as possible within 2026, and to the continued support in Hong Kong's accession bid. Hong Kong's accession to RCEP would add concrete impetus to regional economic integration and help advance the FTAAP agenda.

On the sidelines of the MRT meeting, Mr Yau met with the China International Trade Representative and Vice Minister of Commerce, Mr Li Chenggan, and the Deputy Minister of Trade of Indonesia, Ms Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri, separately to exchange views on issues of mutual concern. He also met with the Mayor of Suzhou, Mr Wang Wei, and briefed him on Hong Kong's latest initiatives to drive economic development.

Mr Yau will continue to join the MRT Meeting tomorrow (May 23).

Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao Conduct Joint Emergency Response Exercise Liancheng-2026 to Enhance Rescue Capabilities.

GBA joint emergency response and rescue exercise "Liancheng-2026" successfully concludes in Macao

The Fire and Rescue Corps of Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong Fire Services Department (HKFSD) and the Macao Fire Services Bureau held a 48-hour Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) joint emergency response and rescue exercise, "Liancheng-2026", in Macao from May 20 to today (May 22). The exercise further optimised the collaborative capabilities of the fire departments of the three places in joint command, cross-border rescue and co-ordinated response under the GBA Emergency Response and Rescue Operational Plan.

The Deputy Director (Operations) of the HKFSD, Mr Derek Armstrong Chan, who acted as the commander of the Hong Kong cross-border rescue team in the exercise, was responsible for the command and deployment of rescue team personnel and resources to assist Macao in the emergency response and rescue work in multiple simulated incidents.

Mr Chan said, "The exercise effectively strengthened the overall abilities of the three places to handle complex disasters, showcasing the continuous improvement of their professional rescue teams in technical standard, application of equipment, and command and dispatch. The three places will comprehensively deepen co-operation in emergency response and rescue, and continue to enhance firefighting and rescue capabilities under extreme conditions, including those in skyscrapers, through a knowledge exchange and resource sharing mechanism."

The exercise simulated Macao experiencing extreme weather conditions, including a super typhoon and torrential rain, resulting in severe incidents such as fires, landslides, building collapses, serious flooding and multiple traffic accidents in various districts. The Macao Special Administrative Region Government requested assistance from the People's Government of Guangdong Province and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government according to the mechanism under the Operational Plan.

The Fire and Rescue Corps of Guangdong Province promptly deployed 70 members, 12 fire appliances and over 900 items of rescue equipment, while the HKFSD deployed 40 members, 10 fire appliances and over 600 items of rescue equipment to render assistance to Macao. The two teams respectively entered Macao through the Gongbei Port and the port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge through the dedicated cross-boundary Green Channel to participate in the exercise.

Funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the HKFSD participated in "Liancheng-2026", which was hosted and co-ordinated by the Macao Fire Services Bureau. A locally led joint emergency response command mechanism was established based on the territoriality principle and tasks were assigned at the incident scenes.The exercise was mainly conducted at the former Taipa Racecourse and a construction site on Avenida Wai Long, with the Macao Fire Services Bureau leading the joint emergency response command mechanism to co-ordinate the deployment of personnel and resources. The three rescue teams jointly participated in operations such as high-angle rescue, chemical decontamination, traffic accidents, building collapses and flooding. The Macao Fire Services Bureau also demonstrated its standard procedures, including those for firefighting and rescue and emergency evacuation in high-rise buildings, to Guangdong and Hong Kong participants.

In addition, the fire departments from the three places held a symposium on firefighting and rescue in high-rise buildings in the GBA. Through experience and case sharing, they discussed co-ordination among the three places in areas including incident command, equipment standard, radio communications, and firefighting and rescue procedures.

APEC Trade Ministers Urged to Support Multilateral Trading System for Regional Economic Integration

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