Members of the Asian Trade Promotion Forum unanimously approved a proposal last Thursday for Taiwan to host the next round of ATPF meetings in 2011. “This is the first time in its 20-year history that the ATPF will be held in Taiwan,” noted Wayne W. Wu, vice chairman of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA). We said improved relations between Taiwan and China have helped TAITRA obtain the right to host the event. The meetings, scheduled to take place between the end of April and the beginning of May next year, will be held in Taipei. This year's meetings are currently taking place in Seoul, South Korea. Japan, South Korea, Australia and China are some of the 22 ATPF members that will be represented in next year's meetings. Altogether roughly 100 delegates are expected to attend, according to Wu. A main topic of discussion next year will be the economic integration of the Asia-Pacific region. Analysts said the overall importance of the Asia-Pacific region is increasing, especially now that the credit crisis in Europe appears to be spreading. According to Wu, several non-ATPF members, including Iran, Dubai, and Kuwait, have asked and been allowed to participate as observers in this year's meetings. These nations, realizing the importance of the region, have requested that they be permitted to become official ATPF members. Whether the organization will agree to their request will be determined by all members through discussion, Wu said. The first choice of venue for the 2011 meetings will be the Taipei International Convention Center.
