HOW SUCCESSFUL IS APEC?

How successful have APEC been in the Asia Pacific Region?

Introduction -- Goals
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, is the premier forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region. Its goals are to further enhance economic growth and prosperity for Asia Pacific region and to enhance the regional cooperation. It focuses on 2 key areas: Trade and Investment Liberalization and Facilitation (LILF) and Economic and Technical Cooperation (ECOTECH). Its practical way is to set up free and open trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific by 2010 for developed economies and 2020 for developing economies. (http://www.apecsec.org.sg/)
Achievements:
According to the official web site, APEC has 21 members which account for more than 2.5 billion people, about 50% of the world, with a combined GDP of 19 trillion US dollars, about 60% of world production and 47% of world trade. It also proudly represents the most economically dynamic regio...