A high-level symposium celebrating the 20th anniversary of the APEC was launched Tuesday on the sidelines of the week-long meetings of the 21 APEC economies.

Initiated in 1989 to respond to the growing interdependence among Asia-Pacific economies, the APEC has evolved for the past 20 years to become a major forum and a primary vehicle to promote free trade and cooperation among members in the fields of economy, trade, investment and technology. The following are key APEC milestones over the 20 years.

2008 - Lima, Peru

APEC leaders addressed the global financial crisis in the Lima APEC Leaders' Statement on the Global Economy. They committed to take all necessary economic and financial measures to restore stability and growth, to reject protectionism and to intensify efforts to advance WTO Doha Development Agenda negotiations.

2007 - Sydney, Australia

For the first time, APEC Member Economies issued a Declaration on Climate Change, Energy Security and Clean Development outlining future action in support of a new international climate change arrangement.

2006 - Hanoi, Vietnam

APEC Economic Leaders endorsed the Hanoi Action Plan which identifies specific actions and milestones to implement the Bogor Goals and support capacity-building measures to help APEC economies.

2005 - Busan, South Korea

The APEC adopted the Busan Roadmap, completed the Mid-Term Stocktake which has found that the APEC is well on its way to meeting the Bogor Goals, and the APEC Privacy Framework.

2004 - Santiago, Chile

The APEC issued a strong statement of support for progress in the WTO Doha Development Agenda and set a target date for achieving a breakthrough in negotiations: December 2005, the convening of the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference.

2003 - Bangkok, Thailand

The APEC stressed the complementary aims of bilateral and regional trade agreements, the Bogor Goals and the multilateral trading system under the WTO.

2002 - Los Cabos, Mexico

The APEC adopted a Trade Facilitation Action Plan, Policies on Trade and the Digital Economy and Transparency Standards.

2001 - Shanghai, China

The APEC adopted the Shanghai Accord, which focuses on Broadening the APEC Vision, Clarifying the Roadmap to Bogor and Strengthening the Implementation Mechanism. APEC's first Counter-Terrorism Statement was issued.

2000 - Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam

The APEC established an electronic Individual Action Plan (e-IAP) system, which aims to triple Internet access throughout the APEC region by 2005.