The establishment of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) saw the region experience a period of enthusiasm for multilateralism and economic partnerships among governments with different, even contrasting, political and ideological shades. For three decades, ultimately too short a period, it was a given that free trade and economic cooperation would lead to growth, prosperity and improved living conditions for billions of people.
Thailand had a key role in ushering in this period as a founding member of both the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), and the Apec forum.
If Asean is mainly determined by the cultural and geographic ties of its nations, Apec brings together an unlikely group of 21 economies from around the Pacific, ranging from small, to middle-income, to the biggest economies on earth -- Japan, China and the United States. This means the forum is able to take a uniquely pluralistic view in matters that affect the economic growth of the region.
