ABSTRACT
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a unique intergovernmental process. The process that began in November 1989 with a meeting in Canberra, Australia, and attended by ministers from 12 Asia-Pacific countries has come a long way. APEC’s unique characteristics can be understood and appreciated against the background of the region’s diversity and the various attempts at promoting regionalism and regional economic cooperation over some 25 years prior to that historic meeting in Canberra (Soesastro, 1994a, b). As a process of cooperation, and as a forum for consultations, APEC definitely has undergone a significant evolution. APEC’s evolution has been influenced by three major developments, namely: (1) expansion of membership, (2) gradual institutionalization, and (3) widening and deepening of the cooperation agenda.
