APEC talks extended for lack of progress<\/p>\n
TOKYO (AFP): The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
\nforum has extended talks for a third day after failing to make
\nprogress on preparing a free-trade plan during two days of talks,
\na Japanese official said yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"Members haven't reached agreement in four or five different
\nareas. The situation is not yet solid,\" he said, referring to the
\n25-year \"action agenda\" which is supposed to be adopted at next
\nmonth's summit in Osaka.<\/p>\n
The official said progress towards the summit was only 80
\npercent complete, the same description used by Japanese officials
\nat the end of last month's meeting in Hong Kong when Japan,
\nChina, South Korea and Taiwan fell out with the other members
\nover plans to seek different treatment for sensitive sectors.<\/p>\n
\"We didn't spend as much time on confrontation as we did in
\nHong Kong,\" the official was quoted by AFP as saying. \"Japan and
\nSouth Korea had some complaints. But there's no change in the
\npicture of the confrontation.\"<\/p>\n
Agricultural exporters, notably Australia but also the United
\nStates and New Zealand, have asserted that an action agenda with
\ndifferent treatment for sensitive sectors would undermine the
\npush towards free trade in the region.<\/p>\n
Australia<\/p>\n
Australian Trade Minister Bob McMullan, visiting South Korea
\nahead of next month's APEC leaders' summit in Japan, said in
\nSeoul yesterday that it was \"crucially important\" that sensitive
\nareas such as agriculture not be exempted from the free-trade
\npact.<\/p>\n
\"The inevitable outcome of one member being allowed to take
\nits sensitive sectors off the table is that others will follow
\nsuit,\" McMullan said in a speech to business people in Seoul. A
\ncopy of the speech was released in Canberra.<\/p>\n
Leaders from the 18-member Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation
\n(APEC) forum are due to meet in Osaka next month to decide how to
\nimplement a deal to axe trade barriers, struck at last year's
\nsummit in the Indonesian city of Bogor.<\/p>\n
But facing domestic political pressures, summit host Japan has
\nannounced it wanted special treatment for agriculture. Japan has
\nbacking from China, South Korea and Taiwan and the issue
\nthreatens to be a major obstacle to consensus at Osaka.<\/p>\n
McMullan said free trade in all sectors would help all APEC
\nmembers. \"We need to maintain the momentum for trade
\nliberalization in the Asia-Pacific region,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"It is overwhelmingly in all our interests -- and clearly in
\nKorea's interest -- that we not weaken the Bogor commitment to
\nfree trade in the region,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Such a result would substantially reduce the scope of trade
\nand investment liberalization within APEC and weaken the
\nliberalization process regionally and globally.\"<\/p>\n
McMullan's warning came as Australia's ambassador to Tokyo,
\nAshton Calvert, publicly criticized Japan's efforts to exempt
\nagriculture.<\/p>\n
\"If it falls back because of some domestic sectoral pressures,
\nthen it will fail in its role as APEC chair and a lot of other
\nthings will fall out of the grasp of APEC,\" Calvert, a former
\nsenior advisor to Prime Minister Paul Keating, told Tuesday's
\nAustralian Financial Review newspaper.<\/p>\n
\"Every country would quite legitimately expect to nominate
\ntheir own sensitive sector and the whole thing would unravel.
\n\"They risk wrecking APEC.\"<\/p>\n
Under APEC's free-trade plan, developed nations would abolish
\ntrade barriers by 2010 and developing nations by 2020.<\/p>\n
APEC groups Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong
\nKong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New
\nZealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan,
\nThailand and the United States.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/apec-talks-extended-for-lack-of-progress-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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