The Extraordinary meeting of the APEC Port Services Network (APSN) Council, hosted by Transport Canada, was successfully held in Vancouver, Canada from May 4-6, 2009. Council Members from Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, and the United States of America, along with over 30 Regular Members from China and Hong Kong, China and other observers attended the meeting. This is the first time Regular Members and other interested participants from the APEC Member Economies were invited to attend the Council Meeting, providing them with the opportunity to have face-to-face dialogues with Council Members and competent authorities from the APEC Member Economies.

Mr. Jerry Rysanek, President of the Council, opened the meeting while Mrs. Kristine Burr, Assistant Deputy Minister of Transport Canada, delivered welcoming remarks during the opening of the joint Council and Regular Members session. In her speech, she reaffirmed the necessity of such a unique regional organization as the APSN, especially in this critical period of global economic uncertainty. More importantly, she commended the work undertaken by the APSN Secretariat over the past months and reiterated Canada's commitment to making the APSN a great success.

Mr. Xu Zuyuan, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Transport of China, attended and addressed the meeting, as well. He expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Transport Canada for all its efforts and reassured China's continued support for the APSN in the days to come, wishing the meeting success. In his speech, Vice Minister Xu shared his thoughts on how to ensure sustainable and sound development in the Asia-Pacific port industry against the backdrop of a global economic recession. He highlighted APSN's role in coping with the crisis by bringing together senior representatives from the port and port related industries of the APEC Member Economies.

Mr. Zhang Xiaojie, Secretary-General of the APSN, presented a progress report on the development of the APSN since the first session of the APSN Council. He briefed all participants on the tangible progress made on ongoing APSN projects, such as promotional missions, the APEC Port Database, the APEC Port Services Network Conference on Port Development, the Port Development Report, training programs, and the reform of the APSN Secretariat. He also introduced Dr. Zhang Linjiang, the newly appointed Deputy Secretary-General, to the Council.

Canada made three presentations during the meeting, including Connecting Ports to the Global Supply Chain: The Role of Communications Technology, The Gateway Performance Table, and The Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative. The Council Member from the Republic of Korea made a presentation on the Introduction of the Global Logistics Investment Fund. Meanwhile, Yingkou Port Group Co. Ltd, Shanghai Port Group Co. Ltd, and the Busan Port Authority shared their respective development experiences and views on the current economic crisis.

The Council noted with satisfaction the work undertaken by the APSN Secretariat. After an extensive discussion at the meeting, the Council agreed to grant Regular Membership to 21 applicants and adopted the proposed agenda of the APEC Port Services Network Conference on Port Development. The council also gave precise directives regarding three other projects, specifically the APEC Port Database, a training workshop for senior management of APEC port facility security, and the 2007 Report on Asia-Pacific Port Development.

The 2nd session of the APSN Council is to be held in Shenzhen, China on the week of November 2, 2009, back-to-back with the APEC Port Services Network Conference on Port Development.