APEC begins first talks for Osaka summit<\/p>\n
FUKUOKA, Japan (AFP): Senior officials of the Asia-Pacific
\nEconomic Cooperation (APEC) forum kicked off a three-day meeting
\nhere yesterday, the first talks since leaders of the 18-member
\ngroup agreed to work towards the goal of free trade and
\ninvestment in the region by 2020.<\/p>\n
The meeting is the first in a series of high-level talks ahead
\nof the annual gathering of APEC ministers in Osaka in November,
\nwhich is to be followed by the third summit between APEC leaders.<\/p>\n
At their second summit in the Indonesian city of Bogor three
\nmonths ago, the APEC leaders set regional free trade and
\ninvestment deadlines of 2010 for industrialized members and 2020
\nfor developing members.<\/p>\n
Japan, as this year's chairman and the world's biggest aid
\ndonor, is stressing economic and technical cooperation as a
\nsecond \"pillar\" of APEC activities in addition to the broad area
\nof trade and investment.<\/p>\n
In a message to the opening session of the three-day meeting,
\nJapanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono said \"specific strategic
\nguidelines\" were now needed to \"govern the full spectrum of APEC
\nactivities into the 21st century\" and that drafting an action
\nagenda was the main task for this year.<\/p>\n
\"This action agenda must give a clear signal of our intention
\nto maintain the momentum of the Bogor declaration,\" he said,
\nadding that it also had to be \"practical and flexible\" enough to
\naccommodate regional diversity.<\/p>\n
\"Comprehensive guidelines embodied in the action agenda should
\ninclude elements of economic and technical cooperation, as well
\nas measures to facilitate trade and investment liberalization.\"<\/p>\n
Kono, who is also deputy prime minister, meanwhile defined the
\ngoals of a Japanese proposal to APEC known as the \"partners for
\nprogress\" initiative.<\/p>\n
\"Its objective is to mobilize the individual expertise and
\nexperience of each of the members of APEC to engage in mutual
\nassistance,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Concern<\/p>\n
In a separate message, International Trade and Industry
\nMinister Ryutaro Hashimoto said the immediate concern was to
\nensure that all members fulfilled Uruguay Round commitments to
\nthe World Trade Organization.<\/p>\n
\"Our longer term concern is, as noted in the Bogor
\ndeclaration, to consider ways to deepen and broaden the outcome,\"
\nthe Japanese minister said.<\/p>\n
Hashimoto also noted that the private sector was the driving
\nforce in APEC economies and that this should be reflected in the
\naction agenda.<\/p>\n
\"We in APEC can further invigorate this private-sector
\nactivity by drawing up an action agenda that assures the private
\nsector the realm of free economic activity will expand over the
\nmid- to long-term,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Furthermore, it is equally important to give business a real
\nsense of tangible progress by producing tangible results as soon
\nas possible.\"<\/p>\n
The three-day meeting in this southern Japanese city is being
\njointly chaired by Hiromoto Seki, Japan's new ambassador to APEC,
\nand Hidehiro Konno, director general of the international trade
\nand industry ministry's economic cooperation department.<\/p>\n
Seki was named by the cabinet last Friday to succeed Tetsuya
\nEndo, who is becoming the Japanese envoy to the Korea Energy
\nDevelopment Organization, an international consortium to make
\nNorth Korea's nuclear program safer.<\/p>\n
While senior APEC officials generally meet four times a year
\nto prepare for the annual meetings of ministers responsible for
\nforeign affairs and trade, this year's format is somewhat
\ndifferent with three meetings followed by \"special\" talks
\nfocussing on trade and investment in the longer term.<\/p>\n
The Fukuoka meeting is expected to be followed by high-level
\ntalks in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo in July. The third
\nmeeting, expected to be held in October, will probably be in
\nTokyo, Japanese officials said.<\/p>\n
APEC groups Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong
\nKong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New
\nZealand, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Taiwan,
\nThailand and the United States.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/apec-begins-first-talks-for-osaka-summit-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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