The PBEC is a cooperation organization for the business sector of countries in Asia Pacific that searches to strengthen their relationships, creating an appropriate setting for business through capital investment, the expansion of goods and services commerce, and healthy company competitiveness, contributing to the economical and commercial development of villages.

The association which gathers more than 1000 business community leaders from 20 economies from the region is the most influent and important business organization in the Pacific, zone that represents today more than 50% of world commerce.

Background

The PBEC was created in 1967 by an initiative of the Japan-Australia Cooperative Business Committee, and as a result of an investigation from Stanford University on the future of the most developed economical areas in the world, they came to the conclusion that the Pacific Basin will transform in a short period of time in one of the areas with the greatest economical development. In that opportunity the creation of a private organization, which members would be the basin countries, was recommended. The founders were the United States and Japan, later came Australia, Canada y New Zealand. These five nations worked united for two decades but later invited other countries  from the region; in 1987 South Korea and Taiwan; in 1989 Chile and México; in 1990 Hong Kong and Peru; in 1991 Malaysia and Filipinas; in 1994 Colombia, the Popular Republic of China y Russia; in 1995 Thailand and Indonesia; in 1997 Ecuador. Currently the members extend to economies of Asia, Oceania, and America, with shores in the South Pacific.