The 21 APEC member economies are stepping up their defenses against terrorism across the Asia-Pacific amid unsettling changes in the security landscape which are putting the world's most populous region and leading growth engine at elevated risk.
New joint actions to curb terrorist financing, enhance secure travel and trade, and ensure security at the growing number of large-scale events held in the region were brought forward during a three-day assembly of counter-terrorism officials in Subic Bay. It was convened ahead of a key policy meeting of APEC Senior Officials to promote inclusive, secure growth which begins Friday. Terrorist incidents affecting member economies in recent days set the tone.
"We continue to see a rise in the spread of violent extremism worldwide," said Oscar Valenzuela, new Chair of the APEC Counter-Terrorism Working Group which manages coordination between member economies on the issue. "The death of two Japanese hostages at the hands of radicals and the pipeline of foreign funding and recruits to advance the terrorist agenda of such groups are signals of an increased threat across the Asia-Pacific."
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