Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) began in 1989 in reaction to the development of interdependence among Asia-Pacific economies. In the beginning this organization was a group that met unofficially. APEC has now become the crucial provincial channel to encourage open trade and realistic economic cooperation. Its goal is to promote the economic vitality of Asia-Pacific and the essence of the people. APEC is made up of 21 nations and other political units bordering the Pacific Ocean. Economic and political alliances were formed between Pacific countries. APEC's goals include reducing trade barriers between its members and increasing trade and investment in the region. Its principles are to support the economic growth and development of the region and global economic liberalization, reduce barriers to trade in goods, services and investments, and facilitate economic, technical and investment cooperation between member economies. (http://www.apec2002.org.mx/sevents) There are currently twenty-one active members in APEC. Twelve nations have been members since the group was formed in 1989: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and the United States. In 1991, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan became members. Mexico and Papua New Guinea joined in 1993, and Chile in 1994. Hong Kong became a special administrative region of China in 1997, but retained its separate membership in APEC. Peru, Russia and Vietnam became members in 1998. (http://www.apecsec.org.sg/)http://www.apec2002.org.mx/index.cfm?action=content&IdCategory=1&IdSubCategory=7&IdTopic=2The In APEC's first two years, members created ten groups that would study opportunities for cooperation. APEC members have met annually since the formation of APEC. In 1993, APEC leaders met to establish working groups to investigate local cooperation in higher education, human resource development, trade and investment. They also established the Pacific Business Forum. The Pacific Business Forum was created to promote immediate cooperation with private businesses. Through numerous forums and meetings, APEC has agreed to establish a free trade zone among its countries by 2020.&n...... half of the document ......ilateralism means that the ideas of other members are not adequately discussed. This becomes a problem because decisions made by APEC will affect all of its members. A debate on APEC topics will help create bigger steps towards greater trade and investment where exposure becomes a reality. While APEC has some problems, its achievements overcome them. APEC is still working to achieve its goal of free and open trade with working groups and committees. The working groups investigate local cooperation on specific topics. APEC is particularly important in ensuring that the region focuses on trade issues and the opening of the global market. Works Cited http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/ae/apec.htm http://www.noie.gov http:/ /www.apecsec.org.sg/ http://www.apec2002.org. mx http://www.apec2002.org.mx/sevents http://www.apec2002.org.mx/index.cfm?action =content&IdCategory=1&IdSubCategory=7&IdTopic=2 http://www.apecsec.org.sg /loadall.htm?http://www.apecsec.org.sg/workgroup/fish.html http://www.mac.doc .gov/internet/aplacfaq.htmhttp://www.brook.edu/dybdocroot/ comm/PolicyBriefs/pb026/pb26.htm