The Kuwait Times, Arab Times and The Times Kuwait in English alongside Alari and Aljarida Alanbaa Ah in Arabian had articles highlighting APEC leaders’ appeal for a common vision and actions to maintain APEC as a key driver of regional and global economic growth and integration, an incubator of ideas for future economic cooperation and a coordinating mechanism of trade agreements.

The newspapers lauded Vietnam’s success as the host of the event and the country’s achievements in recent years, saying it is among the fastest growing economies in the region.

Singapore’s New Straits Times ran the headline “A new dawn for Asia-Pacific trade” last week, saying the APEC summit brought renewed optimism for Asia-Pacific economies with 2018 fast approaching.

APEC leaders have taken important steps toward aligning their ideas for making trade between member economies work better in the common pursuit of growth and job creation, per the article.

“To this end, they agreed to better position people and businesses across the Asia-Pacific to navigate complex shifts in the regional and global landscapes, building on the half century of progress achieved through cooperation between APEC economies that is well-suited for today’s new realities”, the article said.

After three decades of efforts by APEC economies to enhance their connectivity and trade-driven growth, a billion people have been lifted out of poverty in places like China, Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam, and into the middle class, it added.

APEC leaders have positioned the region to lead the way in making room for innovation, digitally driven trade and start-up promotion, with inroads in such areas in 2018 set to make a real difference for the region, it noted.