APEC delegates named

APEC delegates named

MANILA (AFP): Twelve of the 18 APEC member economies have named representatives to a high-level panel that will advise the regional grouping on hastening trade and investment liberalization, an official statement said.

Among those named to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) were Gordon Wu of Hopewell Holdings Ltd. of Hongkong and Minoru Murofushi of Japan's Itochu Corp., said Enrique Esteban, ABAC- Philippines chairman.

He said others named included Datuk Mohammad of Sime Darby Bhd. Malaysia, Brig. Gen. Lee Hsien Yang of Singapore and Taiwan's Jeffrey Koo.

APEC, or the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, is composed of Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hongkong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States.

Each country will have three representatives in the council, whose advice is to be reflected in the action plan drawn up at the APEC summit in Manila in November 1996.

The first of two proposed meetings of ABAC have been set for June 11 and 12 in Manila, Esteban said.

ABAC replaces the Pacific Business Forum initiated at the inaugural 1993 APEC summit in Seattle.