The 12th Meeting of the APEC Port Services Network (APSN) Council was successfully held on 26 September, 2019 in Cusco City, Peru. Council Members from Canada; China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Peru; The Philippines; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; and Viet Nam were in attendance. Advisory Board Members from China; Hong Kong, China; Korea; Singapore; and Viet Nam attended the joint session of the Council Meeting. Dr. Geraldine Knatz and Dato’ Abdullah Yusuff Bin Basiron, the APSN Senior Consultants, also attended the meeting.
Mr. Tan Cheng Peng, First Vice-President of the Council, opened the meeting and extended a warm welcome to all participants and looked forward to a fruitful discussion at the Council meeting. On behalf of the Peruvian host, Mr. Guillermo Bouroncle Calixto, General Manager of the National Port Authority of Peru (APN), welcomed all participants to Peru.
Mr. Fei Weijun, Secretary-General, reported on the progress of the work of the APSN. This report highlighted the Secretariat’s efforts to carry out the Action Plan for 2019, including but not limited to: Promoting Connectivity in the Port Sector – APSN Forum on Digital Innovation and Port Connectivity; Protecting the Environment - Green Port Award System (GPAS); Collaborating Internationally - Dialogue and Networking among Ports and Cooperation within APEC and with Other Organizations; Promotion of APSN in 2019; Providing Quality Information Services to Our Members; Annual Council Meeting and President Meetings; and Capacity Building of the APSN Secretariat. The Council was satisfied with the progress that the Secretariat has made between last Council meeting and this Meeting.
The meeting elected Mr. Tan Cheng Peng as the First Vice President of the Council for another two-year term. Mr. Tan thanked the Council for its trust and expressed commitment to continue to serve the Council in the coming years. Also, the Council formally approved the revised Rules of Procedure of the APSN Council.
The meeting had extensive discussions on several issues, including the outcome of the APSN Forum, Outcome of the 8th Advisory Board Meeting, Progress Report on the APSN Study Center, Green Port Award System, Update on Five Year Strategic Plan, Revised Rules of Procedure of the APSN Council. At the Council Meeting, 7 economies including China; Hong Kong, China; Malaysia; Peru; the Philippines; Thailand; and Viet Nam presented voluntary reports on port developments. The Council appreciated the timeliness and usefulness of these reports.
The Council adopted the Action Plan 2020, which established a work plan for the Organization to fulfill its objectives in the coming year. The Council agreed that the 2020 Forum will be held back-to-back with the 13th Council Meeting and the 9th Advisory Board Meeting in China in 2020.
The Council expressed its gratitude to the Vice-President and the Secretary-General for their hard work in ensuring another successful Council Meeting and APSN Forum. The Council also thanked the APN for hosting the Council Meeting and Forum and the hospitality extended to all the participants at this meeting.
