1. As parts of its efforts at APEC to develop non-binding domestic regulation disciplines in the services sector and thereby to help the Asia-Pacific region sharpen its competitiveness in the sector, the government of the Republic of Korea hosted an “APEC workshop on the development of non-binding domestic regulation disciplines in the services sector” in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, on August 22. Director-General for Global Economic Affairs Hong Young-ki of the ROK Foreign Ministry presided over the event.

° In 2016, the ROK suggested that APEC develop non-binding domestic regulation disciplines in the services sector in order to resolve issues caused by different regulations among APEC’s member economies in the sector and to assist with structural reform efforts in the region. This work has been included among the major projects in the “APEC Services Competitiveness Roadmap” adopted at the APEC 2016 Summit in Lima.

° The APEC workshop brought together government delegates from such APEC economies as New Zealand, Australia and Taiwan; and Director of the Trade in Services Division Hamid Mamdouh of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Head of the Regulatory Policy Division in the Directorate for Public Governance and Territorial Development Nick Malyshev of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and President Christine Bliss of the US Coalition of Services Industries. The participants reviewed the progress in the discussions at such international organizations as the WTO and the OECD on domestic regulations in the services sector, and exchanged views on the direction of APEC’s work to develop such disciplines.

2. The participating APEC member economies, in particular, reviewed the progress in the discussions at such international organizations as the WTO and the OECD on domestic regulations in the services sector; looked into the provisions in APEC economies’ FTAs concerning domestic services regulations; had experts from the private sector and relevant industries present their views on such regulations in the Asia-Pacific region; and exchanged views with one another on APEC discussions in the field and ways to develop such disciplines.

° The delegates from the WTO and the OECD noted that with robust, relevant discussions currently under way at international organizations, APEC’s domestic regulation disciplines, when developed, will go in line with international trends and help improve services competitiveness of countries in the region.

- At the WTO, ahead of its eleventh Ministerial Conference in December, discussions are under way to set domestic regulation disciplines in the services sector. The OECD is recommending countries to undertake exemplary regulatory practices and implement regulatory policies.

° Services negotiation experts from Taiwan, Mexico and New Zealand shared with the other participants their countries’ domestic regulation disciplines stipulated in their existing FTAs and experiences of gathering opinions from their businesses and other related actors.

° In addition, at the workshop, experts from the private sector and business groups, including the Pacific Economic Corporation Council (PECC), the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), and the Coalition of Services Industries, discussed domestic regulations from diverse perspectives, presenting views regarding the significance of services trade, challenges posed by regulations, and areas in need of improvements.

3. Going forward, based on the outcome of the workshop, the ROK government will consult with other member economies of APEC to seek domestic regulation disciplines in the services sector and thereby to enhance services competitiveness of the Asia-Pacific region.


* unofficial translation