SEOUL, 28 May 2015 – Philippine Foreign Undersecretary for International Economic Relations Laura Q. del Rosario held a roundtable seminar on the Philippines' hosting of APEC 2015 at the Institute for Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS), the policy research arm of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA), in central Seoul on Thursday, 28 May 2015.

Fresh from chairing the APEC SOM in Boracay last week, the undersecretary responded to inquiries concerning trade in goods, competing multilateral fora, specific benefits from APEC, and the APEC Summit Agenda.

In particular, Undersecretary del Rosario said that, that is being discussed in APEC today will be discussed in the WTO tomorrow, and that is why trade in goods is no longer at the forefront of issues being discussed in APEC.

Among competing multilateral fora, the G20 and APEC are considered the twin peaks owing to the level of representation and issues being tackled in both," she said. As such, the G20 and APEC hold much importance in determining trade policy and the pace of global economic integration.

She further highlighted the benefit of having top CEOs as private sector representatives through the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC).

Undersecretary del Rosario finished the seminar by saying that the APEC Summit Agenda will continue to advance services competitiveness, the internet and digital economy, physical and institutional connectivity that can facilitate people-to-people connectivity, and the globalization of MSMEs, all geared toward building inclusive economies.

Accompanied by Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez, she was met by IFANS President Shin Bong-kil, Distinguished IFANS Professor Hyun Oh-Seok, who served until last year as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance and IFANS Director-General Shin Sung-won, who is also an expert in international economy and trade

With over 40 full-time researchers with post-graduate degrees, IFANS produces regular research papers on foreign policy and diplomacy, provides inputs and proposals for official statements of Korea's foreign ministers, and contributes to developing the training program for aspiring Korean diplomats.

By establishing links with IFANS, the Philippine Government can expect to have more support and cooperation from the Korean government in making the Philippines' hosting of APEC a sure success.

Undersecretary del Rosario was in Seoul on 27-29 May 2015 to lead a three-day trade and investment mission composed of freeport zone and international airport authorities from Central Luzon in B2B meetings hosted by the Philippine Embassy and at the Philippine Investment Conference held at the ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC).

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