Background

E-Commerce has accelerated the pace of economic and trade globalization. It will not only change the increasing mode of economy significantly, and will also bring about great changes in global trade system and economic regime.

APEC leaders have already shown their foresight on E-commerce. APEC has been dedicated to the promotion of regional E-commerce through multifarious channels since 1997, and established e-Commerce steering group in February, 1998. The proposition of Digital APEC Strategy has not only announced the common understanding of the strategic position of e-Commerce in the future development of global economy and trade, but also shown that APEC determination to effectively eliminate digital gap through coordination and cooperation in e-Commerce field, and to realize the common prosperity in Asia-pacific region.

APEC e-Commerce steering group, on one hand, has demonstrated to all the great potential of the development of e-Commerce in Asia-pacific region, and on the other hand, it has proven to all that e-Commerce is the new method of achieving economic and trade growth for the APEC member economies. All those can be manifested by the actions and measures from APEC e-Commerce Action Plan to Digital APEC Strategy, and from the e-Commerce discussion in Shanghai APEC Leaders Meeting to the APEC e-Commerce Fair which is about to open in Yantai, China. APEC e-Commerce has greatly attracted more and more leading enterprises all over the world to participate and even to achieve coordination and common development.

APEC e-Commerce Business Alliance Forum is a global e-Commerce conference born in this historic background. It covers many aspects including e-Commerce legal framework, maturity evaluation, paperless trading, and other issues concerning capability building and e-Commerce applications in small and medium-sized enterprises. Therefore, the forum will play an important and positive role in creating an environment in favor of e-Commerce development in Asia-pacific region.