This week I will travel to Peru to promote Australia’s trade and investment interests and rules-based trade.

I will represent Australia at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting of Ministers Responsible for Trade, and the inaugural Joint Meeting of APEC Ministers Responsible for Women and Ministers Responsible for Trade, from 17 to 18 May in Arequipa.

APEC is our region’s premier economic forum, bringing together 21 member economies accounting for around 75 per cent of Australia’s total trade in goods and services.

At the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, I will advance Australia’s priorities on paperless trade, services trade and digital trade, as well as our commitment to the rules-based multilateral trade system with the World Trade Organization at its core.

I look forward to participating in the first-Joint Meeting of APEC Ministers Responsible for Women and Ministers Responsible for Trade, highlighting Australia’s leadership on APEC priorities of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.

These discussions will be a further step in our efforts to ensure that work in APEC reflects our commitment to promoting sustainable, equitable and inclusive trade.