APEC draft action plans finalized
APEC draft action plans finalized
By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat & Prapti Widinugraheni
MANILA (JP): Senior Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
officials finalized a compilation of member countries' draft
action plans to realize the group's free trade and investment
goals.
Dubbed the Manila Action Plan for APEC (MAPA), the document is
designed to clearly spell out measures to break down trade
barriers among the 18-member forum.
MAPA's draft was completed by senior officials at an informal
meeting which preceded the eighth annual APEC Ministerial Meeting
which starts today.
After some additional fine-tuning, the ministers are expected
to adopt MAPA at their two-day meeting. Indonesia will be
represented at the meeting by Coordinating Minister for
Production and Distribution Hartarto and Minister of Foreign
Affairs Ali Alatas.
But the final MAPA and its details will not be unveiled until
the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Subic on Monday.
APEC comprises Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong
Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New
Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand
and the United States.
In Bogor, West Java, in 1994, APEC leaders set 2010 and 2020
as the deadlines for comprehensive trade liberalization for
developed countries and for developing ones.
The actions plans will be compiled in four chapters.
The first chapter will be a 46-page introduction and highlight
of the 18 members' action plans.
The second chapter will be a compilation of the individual
action plans describing how each member country will carry out
liberalization, addressing traditional barriers to trade and
investment flows.
The chairman of the senior officials' meeting, Philippine
Undersecretary Federico Macaranas, said undertakings to provide
an open investment regime included measures to liberalize and
facilitate investment through improved transparency, technical
assistance and cooperation.
Chapter three will highlight collective action to be taken by
APEC to facilitate business and reduce regional business costs.
Among the measures to be taken is a commitment to increase
transparency in government procurement policies, procedures and
opportunities.
"Costs will also be reduced by simplifying, harmonizing and
moving towards a paperless and computerized customs procedure,"
Macaranas said.
The final chapter highlights economic and technical
cooperation activities such as infrastructure development, small
and medium enterprises and human resources development.
The head of Indonesia's delegation to the senior officials
meeting, Soemadi Brotodinigrat, revealed that cooperation would
also focus on developing a stable and efficient capital market,
and efforts to safeguard the quality of life through
environmentally sound growth.
Indonesia
Soemadi yesterday rejected suggestions that Indonesia's 37-
page action plan was too broad and vague on reducing tariff
barriers in many sectors.
"What is being presented here is just the beginning... it is a
living document," he said, adding that it would be continuously
revised by member governments.
Indonesia has basically stipulated a commitment to reduce
tariffs to between 5 percent and 10 percent by 2003.
Soemadi, also the director general of foreign economic
relations at the foreign ministry, acknowledged that if the
individual action plans were compared to the final free trade
objective they would be incompatible.
But he said free trade was a long-term process and more
concrete steps would be taken.
The contents will not be the same when 2020 comes along, he
said, referring to the final free trade deadline.
Soemadi said he was satisfied with the 18 individual action
plans: "After it was all compiled, it was evident that there was
a commitment from all the member economies."
Senior officials meeting chairman Macaranas said he was
satisfied the senior officials had fruitfully completed their
task of drafting the MAPA.
"There was consensus that the work was finished on time and
the challenge met," he said. (pwn/mds)
Test -- Page 4
Protest -- Page 6
Information -- Page 11