11月19日至20日，亚太经合组织（APEC）第24次领导人非正式会议将在秘鲁利马举行。这是亚太区域级别最高的经济合作会议，21个成员领导人或代表将与会，共商亚太合作大计。会议有望为区域经济一体化带来新的契机。

据笔者了解，利马会议主题是“高质量增长和人类发展”。几大重点议题分别是推进区域经济一体化和高质量增长，完善区域粮食市场，推动亚太中小微企业现代化，促进人力资本发展。区域经济一体化仍是利马会议首屈一指的重要议题，这在当前背景下具有重要意义。

自上世纪80年代以来，全球化和区域经济一体化进程进入快车道，各经济体之间联系日益紧密，为世界经济快速发展提供了强大助力。受2008年金融危机重创，世界经济至今未走出危机阴影，仍在深度调整中曲折复苏，依然面临增长动力疲弱、需求不足、市场动荡、国际贸易和投资持续低迷等多重并发症。特别是今年以来，一些国家民粹主义上升，内顾倾向加重，保护主义抬头，全球化和区域经济一体化进程遭遇一定程度的逆风。

亚太占世界经济总量的60%，贸易量的46%，2015年经济增速比全球平均水平高出60%，是世界经济名副其实的大块头和加速器，对于推进经济一体化进程责无旁贷。APEC作为本地区级别最高、领域最广、影响力最大的经济合作机制，始终顺发展大势而为，支持多边贸易体制，奉行开放的区域主义，坚定不移将区域经济一体化作为推进各领域合作的基础。今年APEC利马会议再次将区域经济一体化列为重点议题，展现出APEC成员共同面对当前挑战、坚持走开放发展之路的坚定决心。

说起亚太区域经济一体化，就不能不提起亚太自贸区。这是亚太区域成员覆盖最广、最具包容性的自由贸易安排，是APEC各成员公认的推动区域经济一体化的主要手段，关乎亚太长远发展繁荣。

2014年北京雁栖湖畔，APEC领导人会议成功启动亚太自贸区进程，开启了亚太区域经济合作的新篇章。北京会议批准了APEC推动实现亚太自贸区的北京路线图，规划了全面、系统推进亚太自贸区的大纲。路线图要求在今年底前完成亚太自贸区集体战略研究，并将与下步工作建议一并提交利马会议。集体战略研究报告即将出炉，这将是APEC利马会议的重要成果，也是亚太自贸区的里程碑，各方将在此基础上共商下一步行动，共同规划亚太未来合作方向。

促进区域经济一体化是APEC合作的重中之重，在亚太区域经济合作的重要十字路口，利马会议将继续扛好这面大旗，实现亚太自贸区的新进展，为亚太长远发展繁荣带来新契机。

这次利马会议是在G20杭州峰会后不久召开的。利马会议预计将与“杭州共识”有所呼应，尤其是关于“开放、包容和创新发展”的精神，推动强劲的贸易和投资自由化、便利化；发展互联互通，同舟共济，共商、共建、共享的伙伴关系。

利马会议，值得期待！

The 24th APEC leaders' summit will be held on Nov 19 and 20 in Peruvian capital Lima. Leaders and representatives from the 21 member economies will attend the meeting － the highest-level economic forum in the Asia-Pacific region, and work together to chart pathways for cooperation. The meeting is expected to offer new opportunities for regional economic integration.

The theme of the Lima summit is “Quality Growth and Human Development”, and the key topics include promoting regional economic integration, improving regional food market, upgrading and modernizing small and medium-sized enterprises, and promoting human capital development. Regional economic integration will top the agenda of the APEC summit, and the theme and topics for this meeting are important against the backdrop of the current global economic situation.

Globalization and regional economic integration have fast-tracked since the 1980s, and all economies have become increasingly interdependent. That has helped drive the development of the global economy, which is still plagued by the lingering impact of the 2008 global financial crisis. A slow and fragile recovery is in process. Factors that complicate the recovery include weak driving forces for growth, lackluster demand, a turbulent market and sluggish global trade and investment. Furthermore, this year globalization and regional economic integration have run into strong headwinds, as populism and protectionism are on the rise and gaining momentum in some countries.

The Asia-Pacific region accounts for 60% of the global economy and 46% of the world's trade. In 2015, economic growth in the region was 60% faster than the global average. This means that the region is a real driving force of the global economy, and shoulders an unshirkable responsibility in promoting economic integration. APEC, as the highest level, the most extensive and the most influential economic cooperation mechanism, has been following the trends in supporting multilateral trade and in upholding the open regionalism, and has been unswervingly promoting regional economic integration as the foundation for all cooperation. At the Lima summit, APEC once again highlights regional economic integration as one of the key topics, and this shows the resolve of all member economies in jointly coping with the challenges and following the road of openness and development.

Whenever APEC's regional economic integration is mentioned, it would be natural to link it with the proposed Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific. This is the most extensive and inclusive free-trade arrangement among all APEC members, and is a commonly recognized major instrument to regional economic integration. It has direct bearing on the long-term development and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region.

In 2014, leaders at the APEC meeting held in Beijing agreed to launch the process of the FTAAP, opening a chapter for the Asia-Pacific economic cooperation. The summit endorsed the Beijing Roadmap to push forward the FTAAP process, and set the course for comprehensive and systematic promotion of the FTAAP. According to the roadmap, a collective strategic study on the FTAAP should be wrapped up and submitted, together with action plans, to the Lima meeting. The report of the collective strategic study will not only be an important achievement of the Lima meeting, but also a milestone in the FTAAP process. All members will, based on the report, discuss following action plans and jointly chart pathways for cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Regional economic integration is the top priority for the APEC. At a time when the Asia-Pacific economic cooperation is at an important crossroads, the Lima meeting will urge new progress in the FTAAP and bring new opportunities for the long-term development and prosperity of the region.

The APEC meeting in Lima, just on the heels of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, is expected to echo the Hangzhou Consensus, particularly with regard to the principles for “open, inclusive and innovative growth”. The meeting is expected to promote strong trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and develop partnerships characterized by inter-connectivity, unity, consultation, development and shared benefits.

So expectations are high for the APEC Lima meeting.