United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk
Opening Statement at the 2011 APEC Ministerial Meeting
Honolulul, Hawaii
November 11, 2011
*As Prepared for Delivery*
“I am delighted to be Co-Chairing the APEC Ministers’ Meeting today with Secretary Clinton, and I also want to welcome you all to Honolulu, Hawaii.
“Honolulu is the ideal place to conclude our year as APEC host. A place that underscores that the world’s most dynamic economies are in the Asia-Pacific, where we continue to see the rapid expansion of trade and job creation.
“That’s why APEC is so important; it’s the place where we work on a wide scale – across 21 Asia-Pacific economies – to develop practical and ambitious approaches to emerging economic challenges.
“As APEC host this year, the United States has welcomed the cooperation and support we have received from economies in the room to strengthen APEC and transform it from a talk shop to a forum that provides practical leadership and innovative policies.
“We hope to reach agreement today on key issues so that we may present Leaders with concrete and meaningful outcomes under the three themes this year: (1) promoting green growth; (2) strengthening regional economic integration and expanding trade; and (3) advancing regulatory cooperation and convergence.
“Specifically, we look to:
• address tariff and non-tariff barriers to environmental goods and services;
• adopt policies that promote effective innovation by encouraging competition and open markets; and
• improve the quality of regulatory systems and better align our regulatory approaches.
“I look forward to an active discussion today and to producing significant results for our Leaders.”
