US joins APEC business travel card scheme
4/9/2007 15:17
The United States today became the 18th member economy of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation ( APEC) to sign up to the APEC Business Travel Card Scheme,
giving further boost to trade and investment across the region.
The
Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship, which manages the scheme
on behalf of the APEC Business Mobility Group, said in a press release issued in
Sydney that a certificate of participation allowing the United States to start
issuing APEC business travel cards was signed by the US side in Canberra earlier
today.
The APEC Business Travel Card Scheme is an APEC initiative developed
in response to the need of business people to gain streamlined business visitor
entry to the economies of the Asia- Pacific region. The card allows holders to
transit through the airport quickly using a priority APEC immigration processing
lane, and provides business visa pre-clearance valid for three years and
multiple entries to a scheme-participating economy for a maximum stay of two
months.
Up to now, only three APEC member economies, namely Mexico, Russia
and Canada, have not joined the scheme.
APEC is the premier forum for
facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the
Asia-Pacific region. Since its birth in 1989, it has grown to encompass 21
members spanning four continents, and represents the most economically dynamic
region in the world, accounting for approximately 40 percent of the world's
population, 56 percent of world GDP and 48 percent of world trade.
The 21
member economies are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, China's Hong Kong,
Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New
Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand,
the United States and Vietnam.
Xinhua
|
