APEC meeting opens with different views
By Riyadi
MONTREAL (JP): Eighteen Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade ministers opened their two-day annual meeting here Thursday with developed and developing economies differing on what were priorities.
Indonesia and other developing economies want developed members to open their markets faster to give more access to developing countries' products.
But developed members, led by the United States, want greater concessions from developing members to commit more to sectoral liberalization.
Indonesia's minister of industry and trade, Tunky Ariwibowo, said members should give more concessions to developing economies to help them catch up.
"If they open their markets wider for developing members' products, they help speed up their development, which will in turn provide a larger market for their goods," Tunky said.
To achieve this, developed economies should commit to strengthening economic and technical cooperation and trade liberalization, Tunky said.
The meeting will discuss four key issues. These are the private sector's role, the facilitation and liberalization of trade and investment and ties with the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The meeting is the first in a series of ministerial meetings Canada will host to provide impetus for APEC's work in the lead up to the APEC Ministerial and Economic leaders meeting in Vancouver from Nov. 22 to Nov. 25.
"One of Canada's priorities in 1997 is to maintain the focus on, and momentum of, APEC's trade and investment agenda and support the ongoing work of the WTO," Canada's International Trade Ministry said.
A Canadian official said the ministers would review individual action plans tabled in Manila last year and discuss further trade liberalization and facilitation.
The ministers would discuss tariff and nontariff barriers and sectoral liberalization, he said.
Delegation sources said the United States might pursue the liberalization of the chemical sector, after successfully getting liberalization commitments on information technology and basic telecommunications in Manila last year.
The APEC agreement on information technology paved the way for several countries to adopt the information technology agreement (ITA) in the first WTO ministerial meeting in Singapore last December.
"Though it would be difficult to repeat the success of the ITA, we are anxious to look at all possibilities that will enable us to move the process forward," the official said.
But Tunky doubted an sectoral liberalization agreements could be reached in just two days.
"We will discuss only the general principles on sectoral liberalization but will not reach any agreement on liberalization of any sector," Tunky said.
Trade facilitation will also be on the agenda, especially the harmonization of customs procedures, standards and conformance.
The ministers will also discuss proposals put forward by the APEC Business Advisory Council, which represents the private sector.
Its proposals include private sector participation in infrastructure development.
"They have a project proposal called APEC Voluntarily Investment Principles, a sort of investment agreement on specific projects, rather than on general matters," the official said.
The advisory council said APEC should promote business mobility by developing something like a visa-free smart card so businesspeople from APEC economies could travel more easily.
Australia, the Philippines and South Korea have agreed to pioneer the effort.
The director general of foreign economic relations, Soemadi Brotodiningrat, said Indonesia would have no problem with such a proposal because it already provided visa-free facilities to visitors from almost all APEC nations. (rid)