Peru’s trade exchange has increased over the past 25 years thanks to its participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the Lima Chamber of Commerce (CCL) stated.
According to the aforementioned business guild's Chairman, Roberto de la Tore, the economic benefits that APEC has brought to Peru "are clearly demonstrated by numbers."
"For example, in our commercial exchange, both exports and imports, when we joined the bloc in 1998, we were at US$7.5 billion; last year it closed at US$75.6 billion, 10 times higher," De la Tore told Andina News Agency.
"In the case of exports, the growth is even greater. In 1998, we (Peru) exported US$3 billion to the APEC region, and last year we closed at US$44 billion. The benefit has been very great," he added.
The CCL calculates that the growth in trade exchange has been approximately 12% annually.
"Now, it is about seeing how business facilitation continues, how trade and investments continue to be liberalized, where we must take advantage, which is one of the topics being addressed, of how micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) can be internationalized and integrated into large global value chains," he pointed out.
Opportunities
On the other hand, the CCL chairman stated that the APEC forum not only allows Peru to strengthen its trade and diplomatic ties with other member economies but also to project itself as an "investment hub."
"One of the first objectives we must pursue as a country is to see how we attract foreign investments, how these events allow us to showcase our export products, services, infrastructure projects, among others. It is a great opportunity to engage with all businesspeople," he indicated.
Moreover, De la Tore remarked that the public sector could gather new lessons regarding the implementation of effective public policies for all citizens.
"On the (Peruvian) State's side, we must observe what is being done in other countries to improve public policies, and this would definitely be very beneficial for the country," he concluded.
(END) GDS/JJN/MBC/MVB