Chapter 40: Transport Policy within APEC

This chapter reviews the work program on transport policy that has been undertaken by Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and which is still in progress.

APEC's membership includes 21 economies on both sides of the Pacific. The

current membership is Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the USA, and Vietnam.

The significance of transport for APEC's mission is the starting point of the chapter. The ways in which the members work cooperatively within APEC on transport policy questions are also reviewed, although the chapter does not provide a detailed review of transport policy in each of these economies. Following a review of some current transport sector challenges, the structure of APEC and the manner in which it operates will be examined, including some comments on some institutional challenges that it now faces. APEC's work on transport policy is the topic of the following section. Projects are grouped according to classifications commonly used by APEC, and comments are offered on the mix of projects, and their relative significance. These points are illustrated by a short review of specific collective projects and some results to date. The chapter concludes with comments on the importance of APEC's work on transport policy, the significance of that work for APEC's own agenda, and on the requirements for greater effectiveness of APEC's work on transport policy.