Japan too slow in realizing APEC vision<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Singaporean Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong has
\ncriticized Japan for not going \"full steam\" in preparing a
\nblueprint to follow up on last year's Bogor Declaration of the
\nAsia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.<\/p>\n
\"At this stage, the Japanese government has been very cautious
\nin taking the first steps,\" Goh told a press conference after a
\nmeeting with Indonesia's President Soeharto at the Merdeka Palace
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
Goh, who arrived here yesterday for a two-day working visit,
\nsaid the results achieved in last year's APEC summit in Bogor,
\nWest Java, as well as the previous summit on Blake Island, off
\nSeattle in the United States, would be rendered meaningless if
\nthe coming meeting in Osaka, Japan, failed to take concrete steps
\ntowards trade liberalization.<\/p>\n
\"A failure in Osaka would therefore mean a failure in Bogor,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
APEC is a regional economic forum which groups the six members
\nof the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- Brunei,
\nIndonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand --
\nas well as Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Japan,
\nMexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Taiwan, and
\nthe United States.<\/p>\n
During the follow-up meeting to the first APEC Economic
\nLeaders Meeting in Seattle in 1993, leaders in Bogor last year
\nadopted the Bogor Declaration, which seeks a comprehensive
\nliberalization of trade in the Asia Pacific region by the year
\n2010 for developed member economies and 2020 for developing ones.<\/p>\n
The Bogor summit also resolved to formulate a blueprint for
\nthe trade liberalization at next leaders meeting, which is
\nscheduled to take place in Osaka this November.<\/p>\n
Goh said that during his meeting with Soeharto they had agreed
\non the importance of having a definite direction for the Bogor
\nDeclaration.<\/p>\n
\"The news which I received from the (Japanese) officials is
\nnot, at this stage, very encouraging,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Comment<\/p>\n
The prime minister commented: \"Maybe the Japanese host is not
\ngoing full steam ahead to come up with a concrete plan to achieve
\nthe vision and framework for free trade we decided upon in
\nBogor.\"<\/p>\n
\"I hope I am wrong, but it is still early days,\" Goh said,
\nwithout explaining why he thought Tokyo was moving at such a
\nsluggish pace.<\/p>\n
He said that meetings such as the one he had with Soeharto
\nwere important in order that the leaders came to Osaka with a
\nclear plan.<\/p>\n
Goh said he had recently conducted meetings in Malaysia and
\nthe Philippines and was planning to visit Thailand and Brunei in
\nthe near future.<\/p>\n
He said he would also like to meet with Japanese Prime
\nMinister Tomiichi Murayama ahead of the Osaka meeting.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Minister\/State Secretary Moerdiono said yesterday
\nthat during their meeting Goh and Soeharto had reached agreement
\non the steps that should be taken to make the Osaka meeting a
\nsuccess.<\/p>\n
\"In accordance with the message of the Bogor Declaration, a
\nplan of action should be produced in Osaka,\" Moerdiono said.<\/p>\n
Apart from APEC, Goh and Soeharto also discussed the planned
\nAsia-Europe summit.<\/p>\n
Goh said that the planned summit, scheduled for March or April
\n1996 in Bangkok, would be attended by members of the European
\nUnion, the ASEAN countries and Vietnam, China, Japan and South
\nKorea.<\/p>\n
Although they will not participate in next year's Asia-Europe
\nSummit, Goh said there was always the possibility that Australia
\nand New Zealand would be allowed to take part in the second such
\nsummit should they wish to.<\/p>\n
On the bilateral side, Moerdiono said Soeharto invited
\nSingaporean entrepreneurs to partake in infrastructure
\ndevelopment in Indonesia, particularly in the construction of
\nseaports.<\/p>\n
Apart from a port in Cirebon, West Java, Soeharto also had in
\nmind the development of a port in the Sunda Straits, Moerdiono
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Goh said that during the meeting he had brought to Soeharto's
\nattention the vast investment opportunities in China, which meant
\nserious competition for Indonesia in attracting investors.<\/p>\n
Despite the large amount of investments going to China, Goh
\nsaid that Singapore was keen to invest in ASEAN countries,
\nincluding Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Goh yesterday invited Soeharto to attend the opening of a
\nlarge exhibition in Singapore in September.<\/p>\n
The exhibition is being held to mark, not only the 30th
\nanniversary of Singapore, but also the 50th anniversary of
\nIndonesian independence, Moerdiono said, adding that the
\npresident had welcomed the invitation. (mds)<\/p>",
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