Gratitude Letter_Prof. Hong Xue
ESCAP, ADB and the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs Indonesia organized the 8th Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum from the 5-8 September 2017 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The theme for this year’s APTFF is Trade Facilitation Innovations for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific. The Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation is the leading regional platform for the exchange of information, experiences and practice on trade facilitation. The APTFF has been organized by UN ESCAP and ADB and growing number of partners since 2009. The Forum attracts over 250 participants from over 30 countries. This year’s Forum featured panel discussions, interactive sessions and an exhibition highlighting innovations and trends in trade facilitation in the Asia-Pacific region. The Forum also included a number of side-events providing more in-depth exploration of the pertinent trade facilitation issues. These events are held to maximize learning and capacity building on trade facilitation of participants attending the Forum. While the nature and number of side events vary every year, they generally include a study tour organized by the host country, as well as technical workshops co-organized with the United Nations Network of Experts for Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (UNNExT), WCO or other members of the Global Facilitation Partnerships for Trade and Transport (GFP).
Prof. Xue presented on legal impact of international digital trade at the Session 3 Facilitating Trade Behind the Border: Creating an Enabling (Business) Environment for Cross-border trade on September 6, 2017. She also participated in the UNNExT Advisory Committee Meeting. On September 7, 2017, Prof. Xue moderated the UNCITRAL Side Event “Taking FTA Electronic Commerce Chapters Seriously: UNCITRAL Texts for Mutual Recognition of Electronic Communications and Signatures” and actively contributed to the Panel’s discussion and Q&A.