Trade way down agenda at APEC summit<\/p>\n
AUCKLAND (Reuters): Leaders of the world's biggest nations
\ngathered in New Zealand on Saturday to talk about trade, but
\nended up spending most of their time discussing politics.<\/p>\n
Massacres in East Timor, Chinese threats against Taiwan and
\nstrained Sino-U.S. relations dominated bilateral meetings between
\nthe heads of the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
\neconomies before a summit on Sunday and Monday.<\/p>\n
Top of the agenda for U.S. President Bill Clinton and many of
\nthe other leaders was the carnage in East Timor, which has
\ndominated talks by APEC foreign and trade ministers who arrived
\nto discuss trade issues earlier in the week.<\/p>\n
Set up 10 years ago to push for free trade, APEC has become
\ndistracted by politics in recent years since the World Trade
\nOrganization has become the main vehicle for opening markets.<\/p>\n
This year's APEC summit, grouping countries with nearly half
\nthe world's trade and US$16 trillion in economic output, was
\nbilled as an overture to the next round of global trade talks due
\nto start in Seattle in November under the auspices of the WTO.
\nBut there is little for the leaders to discuss.<\/p>\n
A confidential draft copy of the APEC leaders' final
\ncommunique, due to be released on Monday but obtained by Reuters
\non Friday, before most of the leaders even arrived in Auckland,
\ncontained a collection of bland pronouncements about the value of
\nfree markets and a few watered-down proposals.<\/p>\n
The statement hailed the Asian economic recovery and pledged
\nfurther reform of markets to head off future crises, stressing
\nthe need to boost financial market transparency and regulation.<\/p>\n
It offered \"the strongest possible support\" to a new round of
\nglobal trade talks that open in Seattle in November, and calls
\nfor the repeal of export farm subsidies.<\/p>\n
But the declaration gave only the sketchiest road-map on trade
\nliberalization for the new round of WTO talks, avoiding any
\nproposals capable of offending APEC's diverse membership.<\/p>\n
Clinton, Chinese President Jiang Zemin and South Korean leader
\nKim dae-Jung, all on state visits, arrived to war dances by
\ntroops of Maori warriors and Pacific islanders in flax skirts.<\/p>\n
A platoon of about 20 bare-chested performers strutted,
\nchanted and waved spears in a \"haka\" welcome, an indigenous Maori
\nwelcoming challenge, before the networking began.<\/p>\n
Clinton and Jiang did discuss trade at their 90-minute summit
\nbut a large part of it was about Beijing's application to join
\nthe WTO this year, which Clinton said he supported but which a
\ntop U.S. official said might not be possible because of
\nopposition from the U.S. Congress.<\/p>\n
Much of their meeting was taken up with other concerns, such
\nas China's war games this week aimed at intimidating Taiwan after
\nits leader Lee Teng-hui declared that relations with the mainland
\nwould be on a \"special state-to-state basis\".<\/p>\n
Reports of the murder of thousands of people in East Timor
\nafter the territory's 80 percent vote for independence last month
\ndominated discussions after the United States and several other
\nnations suspended military links with Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"This APEC gathering...has seen round the clock diplomatic
\nactivity aimed at restoring order in Timor,\" New Zealand Prime
\nMinister Jenny Shipley told a meeting of business leaders.<\/p>\n
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said East Timor would
\ncontinue to be a central focus.<\/p>\n
\"The East Timor issue will dominate much of the reporting from
\nthis conference and this meeting and will of course bulk
\nsignificantly in the bilateral discussions and perhaps in some of
\nthe general discussions at the meeting of leaders,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Outside the meeting, an orderly group of protesters and a 50-
\nstrong police escort marched through Auckland's central business
\ndistrict on Saturday before staging an East Timor freedom rally
\nnear the talks.<\/p>",
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