APEC has 21 members - referred to as "Member Economies" that account for more than a third of the world's population

APEC's 21 Member Economies are Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; People's Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; The Republic of the Philippines; The Russian Federation; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States of America; Viet Nam.

APEC was established in 1989 to further enhance economic growth and prosperity for the region and to strengthen the Asia-Pacific community.  Since its inception, APEC has worked to reduce tariffs and other trade barriers across the Asia-Pacific region by creating efficient domestic economies and dramatically increasing exports.  APEC also works to create an environment for the safe and efficient movement of goods, services and people across borders in the region through policy alignment and economic and technical cooperation.

APEC is the only inter-governmental grouping in the world that operates on the basis of non-binding commitments, open dialogue and equal respect for the views of all participants.  Unlike the WTO or other multilateral trade bodies, APEC has no treaty obligations required of its participants.  Decisions made within APEC are reached by consensus, and commitments are undertaken on a voluntary basis.

Publishing

In its mission to influence regional policies, research and publishing are important parts of APEC’s operations.  The APEC Secretariat in Singapore and APEC Study Centers located at Universities and Institutions in APEC member countries produce authoritative studies on member Asian and Pacific Rim Countries.  Studies are produced by research staff, university researchers, and some are contracted out to expert consultants.

APEC studies cover many facets of Asian economies - finance, trade, environment, human resources development, best practices in government, education and women's studies to name a few.  They also produce many industry specific studies - Internet, technology, telecommunications, fisheries, and tourism to name a very few.

The APEC studies in this database service include the full-text of the studies, as well as all statistical tables, color graphs - even satellite photographs.  The database also includes APEC meeting notes and papers documenting APEC operations.

For further information, please visit the APEC website.