Charter calls for closer U.S.-Asia partnership

Charter calls for closer U.S.-Asia partnership

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Asia-Pacific academics and politicians yesterday adopted a charter calling for closer partnership between the United States and Asia and further opening of market economies.

The charter was signed by 13 representatives from 11 countries, led by Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and adopted at the end of the two-day Third Pacific dialog in Kuala Lumpur.

"The market economy needs to be widened and deepened. We are committed to open regionalism and global multilateralism," Anwar said at the signing of the charter to be submitted to heads of governments for further action.

"Opening up of economies will strengthen and enhance our competitiveness," said Anwar, who is also finance minister.

Anwar said the charter was "a universal document of importance not only to the Pacific basin but to the whole world."

"We will publicize and submit this charter formally to the heads of government and encourage discourse to discontinue (conflicts) at all levels," Anwar told a news conference later.

The signatories to the charter included U.S. Senators William Cohen and Sam Nunn, Singapore's Health Minister and Information and Arts Minister George Yeo, Indonesia's National Development Planning Minister Ginandjar Kartasasmita and Ambassador Senator Hisashi Owada from Japan.

Among the academics who signed were Zhang Yunling from China, Ross Garnaut from Australia, Sumitro Djojohadikusumo from Indonesia, Jose Almonte from the Philippines, Kim Kihwan from South Korea, Timothy Ong from Brunei and Supachai Panitchpakdi from Thailand.

The charter would also allay undue fears that "our region is a closed one when we actually propagate open regionalism," Anwar said.

U.S. Senator William Cohen said in his closing remarks at the dialog that the members were "committed to a new era of peace, prosperity and security in the Asia Pacific region."

"There are no illusions and we hope to achieve our goals," Cohen said, adding that "the 21st century will be one of shared values and moral vision."

The charter is seen by officials as a step closer towards Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's call on Thursday for a joint venture between Asia and the United States and other countries to create a "single global commonwealth."

Mahathir has called for the downplaying of the Asian century idea and instead focus on bringing the world together "to build greater prosperity not only for Asians but for all mankind."

Such a joint venture would transform the whole political, strategic and psychological make-up of the world and "we would indeed have a new world", Mahathir said.

The two-day dialog was jointly organized by Malaysia's Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Institute for Policy Research, and U.S.-based Asia Pacific Policy Center.