APEC Finance Ministers Issue Policy Statement on Digital Infrastructure Financing

On October 21, citing the official website of China's Ministry of Finance, the finance ministers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies issued the "Policy Statement on Digital Infrastructure Financing in the Asia-Pacific Region" in Hong Kong today. The statement encourages the public sector to use project preparation tools, first-loss guarantees and risk-sharing arrangements to leverage commercial financing, and encourages the private sector to adopt methods such as finance leasing and asset securitization, while bringing in capital from pension funds, insurance companies and sovereign wealth funds. The statement also encourages multilateral development banks to support projects through local-currency hedging instruments and dedicated guarantee funds, catalyzing rather than crowding out private investment. All of the above cooperation is voluntary and non-binding in nature.