The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum is a multilateral trade organization consisting of 21 Pacific Rim countries. It convenes annually, with hosting rotating between member nations. Resolutions of APEC forums are non-binding on the governments of the member nations.

APEC was first convened on November 6-7, 1989 in Canberra, Australia to continue discussions that would eventually culminate in the creation of the World Trade Organization at the end of the Uruguay Round. A dozen countries sent delegations and, as may be expected of a large gathering of government functionaries, they accomplished nothing except a resolution confirming their belief that trade is good and their desire to continue the discussion at a later date.

APEC is organized into several ministries each of which focuses on a single broad industry. These produce reports of market conditions, industry size and activity, and market share as well as recommendations for future policy decisions affecting their respective industries. There are seperate ministries for Education, Telecommunications and Technology, Marine Conservation, Tourism, Fisheries, and Energy. The policy papers put forth by the various ministries are not legally enforceable, but most member nations view APEC as a critical piece of their trade strategy and most members broadly adhere to the forum's positions.

The member nations of APEC, with year of admittance:

Host country for the APEC forum by year:

  • 1989 - Australia
  • 1990 - Singapore
  • 1991 - South Korea
  • 1992 - Thailand
  • 1993 - United States
  • 1994 - Indonesia
  • 1995 - Japan
  • 1996 - Philippines
  • 1997 - Canada
  • 1998 - Malaysia
  • 1999 - New Zealand
  • 2000 - Brunei Darussalam
  • 2001 - China
  • 2002 - Mexico
  • 2003 - Thailand
  • 2004 - Chile
  • 2005 - South Korea

Sources: APEC secretariat, http://www.apecsec.org.sg/; US State Department, http://www.state.gov; Organization of American States, www.oas.org

Apec is the name given to a five-day old baby boy who was found abandoned in a rubbish bag outside a beauty salon on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok, near a venue where the annual 2003 Asia Pacific Economic Caucus (APEC) conference was taking place.

He was given that name by a Thai policeman. Given that Apec is in poor health, a doctor was concerned that should his situation deteriorate it might bode ill fortune to the success of the international conference.

Apec's mother is Nongnuch McKavinny; his father is an absconding Westerner.

Prior to the conference starting, Thai authorities carried out a massive clean-up of their capital, which included the controversial step of expelling vagrants and illegal immigrants.

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.net/News/18Oct2003_news05.html et al

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