Canada wants no exemption in trade
Canada wants no exemption in trade
JAKARTA (JP): International Trade Minister of Canada Roy MacLaren has made his country's stand on APEC's next meeting very clear, saying that no exemption should be made in pursuing trade liberalization among members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
After a meeting here yesterday with Indonesian Trade Minister Satrio B. Joedono, MacLaren said that he believes an agreement to that effect will be reached during the next APEC meeting in Osaka, Japan, later this week.
He said that Canada will continue to stick to the Bogor Declaration, which was adopted by APEC leaders at their last summit in the West Java town of Bogor last November. The agreement stipulates the year 2010 as the trade liberalization deadline for developed countries and 2020 for the developing countries of APEC.
The Osaka meeting is expected to result in a number of follow- up programs to the Bogor declaration. However, progress could be hindered by the interests of Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan, which are asking that agricultural products be exempted from the trade liberalization.
The Asian countries' request was quickly countered by the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, who fear that such a demand could set a precedent for other member countries to ask for similar treatment for other goods.
Opposition
Canada will oppose the request to exempt agricultural products from the trade liberalization, said MacLaren, who was accompanied by 12 leaders of Canada's most prominent corporations, many of which are actively pursuing new investment and commercial opportunities in Indonesia.
He pointed out that trade liberalization among APEC member countries is a preparatory step toward the implementation of world trade liberalization under the World Trade Organization.
The Canadian firms include Nova Corporation, Gulf Canada Resources/Asamera Oil, Asia Power Capital Group, Agra International, TransCanada Pipelines, Harris-Farinon, Lanser Technologies, SR Telecom, Novagas International, SNC-Lavalin, Atomic Energy of Canada, Klockner Stadler Hurter and the Export Development Corporation of Canada.
During his visit here -- before moving on to the APEC Ministerial Meetings in Osaka on Nov. 15 -- the Canadian minister will meet with senior Indonesian government and business leaders to discuss opportunities for increased trade, technology and investment ventures in Indonesia.
Indonesia is Canada's largest export market in the ASEAN region, with two-way trade growing more than 15 percent per year. Bilateral trade is expected to reach 1.1 billion Canadian dollars this year.
Canada is also an important foreign investor in Indonesia, with approximately five billion Canadian dollars in capital outlays in the country.(12)