HANOI, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The second Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) kicked off here on Wednesday.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Bui Thanh Son, Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister, APEC 2017 SOM chair, said since the first APEC SOM was held in March, global and regional economies have shown some positive signs.
Citing the latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Economic Outlook, Son said the world economy has gained speed and the momentum is expected to persist.
At the same time, the outlook for the Asia-Pacific remains the strongest in the world, he said.
However, the same report pointed out that near-term outlook is clouded with significant uncertainties and challenges, which calls for individual economic actions to be supported by multilateral cooperation, as well as policies to support growth while boosting structural reforms, resilience and inclusiveness, said Son.