--- meta: date: false reading_time: false title: "Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation" date: 2023-10-05 description: "An association of nations around the Pacific rim aiming at the creation of a Pacific free-trade area." tags: ["APEC", "Free Trade", "Regional Cooperation", "Pacific Rim"] --- ## Background The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a regional economic forum established to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific. Founded in 1989, APEC aims to create a greater sense of free trade and economic cooperation among its 21 member economies, which include some of the world's largest and most dynamic economies such as the United States, China, Japan, and Russia.