The Philippines inherits APEC nightmare<\/p>\n
By Peter Starr<\/p>\n
OSAKA, Japan (AFP): With Asia-Pacific leaders agreeing to free
\ntrade and investment in 15 sectors over the next 25 years, the
\nPhilippines has inherited a nightmare in having to bring together
\nmore than a thousand different plans for concrete actions
\nstarting in 1997, officials say.<\/p>\n
The Philippines, which assumed the chair of the Asia-Pacific
\nEconomic Cooperation (APEC) forum at the end of last week's
\nannual meeting of trade and foreign ministers in Osaka, is not
\nwasting time -- an official said it had already scheduled a
\npreparatory meeting in Singapore for next month.<\/p>\n
In addition to nine principles, the \"action agenda\" adopted at
\nthe APEC summit over the weekend provides a detailed framework
\nfor the group's 18 members in drawing up individual \"action
\nplans\" over the coming year.<\/p>\n
These individual steps are to form part of a master plan to be
\nsubmitted to next year's summit in Subic Bay, the site of a
\nformer U.S. military base which the Philippine government is now
\npromoting as a special trade zone.<\/p>\n
\"Action plans will contain specific and concrete details with
\ntime frames for the near to medium term while outlining the basic
\ndirection towards 2010 in the case of industrialized economies
\nand 2020 in the case of developing economies,\" the blueprint
\nsaid. As well as reiterating the deadlines set last year, it said
\nthe plans would be implemented from January of 1997.<\/p>\n
Specific sectors targeted are tariffs, non-tariff measures,
\nservices, investment, standards, customs, intellectual property
\nrights, competition policy, government procurement, deregulation,
\nrules of origin, dispute mediation, business mobility, the
\nUruguay Round of trade talks and information gathering.<\/p>\n
The Osaka Action Agenda has guidelines in each of the 15
\nsectors for the agreed \"concerted unilateral approach\" to be
\ntaken as members prepare their individual plans. Initial actions,
\nlargely modest \"downpayments\" ranging from accelerated tariff
\ncuts to deregulation measures, were announced by each APEC leader
\nat the weekend summit.<\/p>\n
But the agenda also includes details of collective actions,
\nboth with existing APEC bodies and other institutions. So instead
\nof just 18 action plans in 15 different sectors, the number of
\nprograms is much higher.<\/p>\n
Philippine President Fidel Ramos told reporters after meeting
\nthe other Asia-Pacific leaders Sunday that the number of plans to
\nbe submitted to next year's summit was daunting -- estimated at
\nanywhere between 1,100 and 1,500.<\/p>\n
\"It was made very clear to me that we must make sure that the
\nOsaka Action Agenda will be converted into an action plan that
\nwill be do-able in 1996,\" Ramos said. \"We have given the
\nassurance that we will do that.\"<\/p>\n
A senior official from one APEC member said that putting
\ntogether such a multitude of plans over the coming year would be
\na \"nightmare\" for any country let alone the Philippines, one of
\nthe group's poorest members.<\/p>\n
\"People think Ramos is genuinely committed. But not everyone
\nhas the resources of Japan,\" he said, referring to Japanese
\nchairmanship of APEC which has won considerable praise from other
\nmembers over the past year.<\/p>\n
Fred Bergsten, the American economist who has chaired an
\nadvisory group to APEC leaders over the past two years, said the
\ngroup faced two challenges before leaders hold their fourth
\nannual summit in the Philippines.<\/p>\n
The first will be \"getting national governments to come
\nforward\" with concrete action plans, he said, adding that, in
\npractice, \"a few countries\" would have to take the lead to
\nencourage others to do likewise.<\/p>\n
Bergsten said the second challenge would be for APEC to play a
\nleading role at the ministerial meeting of the World Trade
\nOrganization in Singapore at the end of next year. \"I really do
\nthink APEC can become a leader in the world trading system,\" the
\neconomist said.<\/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\/the-philippines-inherits-apec-nightmare-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}