Officials say APEC needs 'injection of dynamism'<\/p>\n
BEIJING (Reuters): Asia-Pacific countries called for an
\n"injection of dynamism" into APEC on Friday to kick-start its
\nstalled agenda to liberalize trade and investment throughout the
\nregion by 2020.<\/p>\n
The call came at the close of a meeting of senior officials of
\nthe 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group held in
\nChina's northeastern city of Dalian.<\/p>\n
Senior APEC officials also hailed progress on China's entry to
\nthe World Trade Organization and expressed support for the launch
\nof a new global trade round, according to a statement.<\/p>\n
"They called for injection of dynamism into the APEC process
\nas it enters the second decade of development by sharpening and
\nupdating the APEC vision and road map for achieving the Bogor
\nGoals," said the statement from the office of Wang Guangya,
\nchairman of the Dalian meeting.<\/p>\n
The so-called Bogor Goals call for free and open trade and
\ninvestment in the Asia-Pacific region by 2010 for developed
\ncountries and by 2020 for developing countries.<\/p>\n
Some APEC economies and the business community have been
\nfrustrated by the group's lack of progress on the free trade
\ncredentials they first set out in 1994 in Bogor, Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Critics have labeled APEC largely a "talking shop", and APEC
\nupset business leaders after it abandoned efforts to fast-track
\ntariff cuts in a range of sectors in New Zealand in 1999.<\/p>\n
Officials said hopes were rising the October meeting of APEC
\nleaders in Shanghai could yield real achievements after China
\nrecently threw its support behind the "Shanghai Accord", a U.S.
\nproposed plan to help reinvigorate the forum.<\/p>\n
"It's fair to say they (Chinese officials) have picked up more
\nambition," said one participant in the Dalian meeting.<\/p>\n
"In the last couple of days, they've taken over the Shanghai
\nAccord and it's no longer a U.S. proposal -- the chair is now
\nleading," said the official, who declined to be identified.<\/p>\n
But APEC members had yet to fully agree what the Shanghai
\nAccord would contain and were still searching for a consensus,
\nparticipants said.<\/p>\n
APEC's support for China's entry to the WTO was more
\nunanimous, they said.<\/p>\n
"Senior officials welcomed the decisive progress made in
\nChina's accession to WTO," the statement said. "They also called
\nfor early accession of Chinese Taipei, Russia and Vietnam into
\nWTO."<\/p>\n
China is expected to formally join WTO by early next year at
\nthe latest. Taiwan, or Chinese Taipei as it is called within
\nAPEC, will enter the WTO shortly after China under a previous
\nagreement.
\nAlthough APEC agrees on the need for WTO members to launch a new
\ntrade round at a meeting at Qatar in November, there was division
\nbetween members on what the agenda should cover.<\/p>\n
"APEC members cover a wide spectrum of views on what should be
\nin the (WTO) agenda," said George Troup, senior APEC official for
\nNew Zealand.<\/p>\n
"So it will be pretty hard for APEC to come to a unified view
\non the details of the agenda," he told Reuters by telephone.<\/p>\n
APEC groups Australia, Brunei, Canada, China, Chile, Hong
\nKong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New
\nZealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia,
\nSingapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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