Five B2B events not to miss at APEC 2017 There will be five events within the framework of APEC 2017 to connect companies to find trade and investment opportunities, as announced by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry at a press conference on January 12. The events are as follows: 1. APEC Startups Forum will be held on the sidelines of the Small and Medium Enterprises Ministerial Meeting in September 2017 in Ho Chi Minh City. The purpose is to encourage entrepreneurship in the APEC. The event expects to welcome about 300 leaders of startups from Vietnam and other APEC countries. 2. APEC Business Advisory Council 4 (ABAC 4) will meet from November 4 to 7 in Danang. The meeting will see the participation of 250-300 leaders of companies in the region. ABAC 4 is going to ratify the annual ABAC report and the proposals of ABAC to APEC economic leaders and prepare the content for the dialogue between APEC economic leaders and ABAC.  3. The forum on promoting trade and investment with Vietnam will be held by VCCI on November 8 in Danang, during the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week. The forum will be a chance for international investors to get to know Vietnam and its new policies as well as to meet companies. There will be about 800 participants hailing from Vietnamese government agencies, leaders of localities, and companies from Vietnam and the APEC.  The “Vietnam the destination for international investors” expo will be the venue for localities to introduce incentives for investors and projects calling for investment. 4. APEC CEO Summit 2017 will be held from November 8 to 10 in Danang. The conference will have the participation of 1,000 delegates, including chairpersons, CEOs of multinationals and big companies in the APEC and other countries.   Speakers at the conference enumerate APEC economic leaders, top managers from leading companies and, international experts in economics. Participants will discuss issues related to international cooperation and economic growth.  On the sidelines, B2B meetings will be organised for companies to find opportunities of cooperation in investment and trade.  5. The dialogue between APEC economic leaders and ABAC members is going to be held in the framework of APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in Danang. The conference will have the participation of 21 APEC economic leaders and 63 members of ABAC. This is the chance for ABAC to submit its annual report and proposals to improve the business environment in the region, and for the leaders to talk to the business community about ways to encourage growth, trade, and investment. The activities will be valuable opprotunities for companies to raise their voice in matters of their direct interests and promote their brands to companies and businesses from the APEC in order to increase cooperation in trade and investment. This year’s APEC will be themed “Creating new dynamism, fostering a shared future.” Boosting trade and investment and promoting economic integration, structural reforms, and SME innovation are critical to enable APEC economies to better harness all opportunities from the fourth industrial revolution and the third wave of globalisation. The theme also accentuates APEC’s common and long-term goal of building a peaceful, stable, integrated, and prosperous community spanning the Asia-Pacific. The four priorities of APEC 2017 are strengthening regional economic connectivity, fostering sustainable, creative, and inclusive growth, increasing regional economic cooperation, supporting micro, small and medium firms, and enhancing food security and sustainable agriculture by adapting to climate change. The Vietnamese government encourages companies to join in the dialogues with government agencies and companies from APEC countries to increase trade and investment cooperation. By Hong Anh, VIR