Abbreviation | PBEC |
---|---|
Formation | 1967 |
Type | INGO |
Headquarters | Hong Kong SAR |
Location |
|
Region served | APAC |
Membership | 12,315 |
Chairman | Andrew Weir MBE JP KPMG China Vice Chairman & Steward of The Hong Kong Jockey Club |
Vice Chairman | George Lam BBS Chair of ESCAP Sustainable Business Network (ESBN) |
Key people | Anson Bailey Treasurer |
Staff | 3 |
Volunteers | 25 |
Website | www |
The Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC) is an independent business association founded by Weldon B. Gibson in 1967 with the objective of facilitating business in the Asia-Pacific region. It has a rich history of supporting business leaders, academics and Governments across Asia Pacific. It organises and hosts several roundtable dialogue discussions and key events annually as well as provides market intelligence, research papers & policy recommendations on behalf of the APAC business community. It advocates for sustainable & inclusive economic growth through free trade agreements under a fair international rules based system that mitigates climate change & supports societies. The International Secretariat is currently located in Hong Kong and their Chief Executive is Michael Walsh.
The Institute of Pacific Relations (IPR) was founded in 1925 as an international forum where national delegations representing a broad range of interests could meet and discuss both domestic and regional issues. The IPR was a respected forum in the period before, during and after World War II, but was disbanded in 1961 after the United States withdrew support. [1] PBEC was one of the organizations that filled the void. It was founded in 1967 by business leaders from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Later the founders were joined by groups of members from other countries in the region such as South Korea, Mexico, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Philippines. [2]
The purpose of the Pacific Basin Economic Council is providing high level engagement between business leaders and Government officials through a regional network of local representative country chapters. Its mission is to create and maintain an environment that facilitates the orderly conduct of sustainable & responsible economic development within & between the 21 APEC Members States. [2] The organization is funded by its patron, corporate & individual members. [3] The organization is informal in the sense that it does not include official government representation and membership is strictly 'by Invitation Only". [4] At the council's 12th general meeting in Los Angeles in 1978 the Pacific Economic Community Plan was proposed, calling for an economic community to coordinate solidarity and cooperation between countries of the region at different stages of development. [5] As of 1993 the PBEC was the main non-government organization involved in economic cooperation in the Pacific region. However today it focuses on its Members needs and represents them in front of Government, when tackling some of the most important economic decisions in Asia. [6]
The Pacific Basin Economic Council promotes a fair based regulatory environment for all its members in the region. It advises governments on ways to improve society issues, the wider business environment and cross-border digital trade barriers. It helps generate direct foreign investment (DFI) and encourages new technology development and deployment while avoiding environmental degradation where possible. [3]
Serving as the independent voice of business in the Pacific, PBEC provides authentic Intelligence through its platform for the diversity of industry, services and professions that have made Asia and the Pacific the world's growth region. PBEC has been a driving force in the region for the past five + decades, advocating environmental awareness, the UNSDG's, corporate social responsibility, ESG Reporting and transparency through its regional country chapters and executive committee. It provides policy advocacy and partners with like-minded organizations such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) / Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Anti-corruption Initiative, Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Horasis-The Global Visions Community and the United Nations Global Compact. [7]
Under the Basic Law, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is exclusively in charge of its internal affairs, whilst the central government of China is responsible for its foreign affairs and defence. As a separate customs territory, Hong Kong maintains and develops relations with foreign states and regions, and plays an active role in such international organisations as World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in its own right under the name of Hong Kong, China. Hong Kong participates in 16 projects of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Singapore maintains diplomatic relations with 189 UN member states. The three exceptions are the Central African Republic, Monaco and South Sudan.
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Following the success of ASEAN's series of post-ministerial conferences launched in the mid-1980s, APEC started in 1989, in response to the growing interdependence of Asia-Pacific economies and the advent of regional trade blocs in other parts of the world; it aimed to establish new markets for agricultural products and raw materials beyond Europe. Headquartered in Singapore, APEC is recognized as one of the highest-level multilateral blocs and oldest forums in the Asia-Pacific region, and exerts significant global influence.
The Institute of Pacific Relations (IPR) was an international NGO established in 1925 to provide a forum for discussion of problems and relations between nations of the Pacific Rim. The International Secretariat, the center of most IPR activity over the years, consisted of professional staff members who recommended policy to the Pacific Council and administered the international program. The various national councils were responsible for national, regional and local programming. Most participants were members of the business and academic communities in their respective countries. Funding came largely from businesses and philanthropies, especially the Rockefeller Foundation. IPR international headquarters were in Honolulu until the early 1930s when they were moved to New York and the American Council emerged as the dominant national council.
The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a regional forum held annually by leaders of, initially, 16 countries in the East Asian, Southeast Asian, South Asian and Oceanian regions, based on the ASEAN Plus Six mechanism. Membership expanded to 18 countries including Russia and the United States at the Sixth EAS in 2011. Since its establishment, ASEAN has held the central role and leadership in the forum. EAS meetings are held after the annual ASEAN leaders' meetings, and plays an important role in the regional architecture of Asia-Pacific. The first summit was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 14 December 2005.
The Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) is a network of member committees composed of individuals and institutions dedicated to promoting cooperation across the Asia Pacific region, headquartered in Singapore. PECC has 23 full member committees Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; China; Colombia; Ecuador; Hong Kong; Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; Mongolia; New Zealand; Peru; the Philippines; Singapore; Taiwan; Thailand; the United States; Vietnam and the Pacific Islands Forum, one associate member: France, and 2 institutional members: Pacific Trade and Development Conference (PAFTAD) and the Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC).
The Pacific Trade and Development Conference (PAFTAD) is an informal private academic conference series that, since its origins in 1968, has developed into a driving force behind the development of thought on Pacific trade and development issues and important economic policy questions facing the region.
APEC Peru 2008 was a series of political meetings held around Peru between the 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation during 2008. Although business leaders of the region also met before the summit officially began. Leaders from all the member countries met during November 22–23, 2008, in the capital city of Lima.
Taiwan Institute of Economic Research is an incorporated non-profit research institute in Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan.
South Korean–Taiwan relations
The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia or ERIA is an international organization established in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2008 by a formal agreement among Leaders of 16 countries in the East Asian region to conduct research activities and make policy recommendations for further economic integration in the East Asia. ERIA works very closely with both the ASEAN Secretariat and 16 Research Institutes to undertake and disseminate policy research under the three pillars, namely “Deepening Economic Integration”, ”Narrowing Development Gaps”, and “Sustainable Development” and provide analytical policy recommendations to Leaders and Ministers at their regional meetings. ERIA provides intellectual contributions to East Asian Community building and serves as a Sherpa international organization. ERIA Ranks 9th among the world's "Top International Economics Think Tanks" according to the 2020 Global Go To Think Tanks Index Report conducted by the University of Pennsylvania.
The Act East policy is an effort by the government of India to cultivate extensive economic and strategic relations with the nations of Southeast Asia to bolster its standing as a regional power and a counterweight to the strategic influence of the People's Republic of China. Initiated in 1991, the Look East policy by Indian government marked a strategic shift in India’s perspective of the world. It was developed and enacted during the government of Prime Minister Narsimha Rao (1991–1996) and rigorously pursued by the successive administrations of Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998–2004) and Manmohan Singh (2004–2014).
The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, created by an Act of Parliament in 1984, is an independent, not-for-profit think-tank on Canada's relations with Asia.
Integration is a political and economic agreement among countries that gives preference to member countries to the agreement. General integration can be achieved in three different approachable ways: through the World Trade Organization (WTO), bilateral integration, and regional integration. In bilateral integration, only two countries economically cooperate with one another, whereas in regional integration, several countries within the same geographic distance become joint to form organizations such as the European Union (EU) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Indeed, factors of mobility like capital, technology and labour are indicating strategies for cross-national integration along with those mentioned above.
Canada-Asia relations are relations between Canada and Asian countries. These include bilateral relations between Canada and individual Asian states and multilateral relations through groups such as Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
Canada is a member of various international organizations and forums. Canada was a founding member of the United Nations in 1945 and formed the North American Aerospace Defense Command together with the United States in 1958. The country has membership in the World Trade Organization, the Five Eyes, the G7 and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The country joined the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1990, and seeks to expand its ties to Pacific Rim economies through membership in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC). Canada ratified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, and seven principal UN human rights conventions and covenants since then. As of 2023, Canada is a signatory to 15 free trade agreements with 51 different countries, and has diplomatic and consular offices in over 270 locations in approximately 180 countries.
APEC Thailand 2003 was a series of political meetings held around Thailand between the 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation during 2003. Various meetings were held across Thailand to discuss present economic conditions and future global policies. Leaders from all the member countries met from 20-21 October 2003 in Bangkok. President George W. Bush will attend leaders' meetings and will visit Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Australia. The presentation defines the major issues that may arise during the APEC meeting and President Bush's visit to East Asia.
APEC China 2001 was a series of economic and political meetings between the 21 member states of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum held in the People's Republic of China during 2001. Various meetings were held across the country, with leaders from all the member countries meeting 20–21 October 2001 in Shanghai.