Howard to visit Asian countries later this year
Howard to visit Asian countries later this year
SYDNEY (AFP): Australian Prime Minister John Howard is likely
to visit Japan, South Korea and Indonesia later this year to
underpin his commitment to economic engagement with the region,
government sources said yesterday.
Howard, whose conservative coalition romped to a landslide
victory in the March 2 election, may also visit Malaysia on his
trip, which is likely in July during the scheduled parliamentary
winter recess.
A visit to Australia next week by Malaysian leader Mahathir
Mohamad has been heralded here as a diplomatic coup for Howard
following claims by former prime minister Paul Keating that Asian
leaders would not deal with Howard.
Howard, who said after his win that his domestic agenda would
take priority and keep him at home for a while, is nevertheless
eager to counter impressions -- which he says were created by
Keating -- that he is less committed to engagement with Asia than
was his predecessor.
Treasurer Peter Costello has already met and held talks with
some of his Asian counterparts during the weekend Asia Pacific
Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum finance ministers' meeting in
Kyoto, Japan.
Costello said in Japan that he had received several
invitations for himself and Howard to visit various unnamed APEC
members.
Deputy Prime Minister and Trade Minister Tim Fischer will also
join the apparent rush to Asia, visiting some of the seven ASEAN
member countries: Brunei, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam.
Sources said details of Fischer's visit to the Association of
South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) were still being finalized, but
the visits were likely before parliament resumed at the end of
April.
Fischer is also expected to continue the Keating government's
push to boost trade with South America, visiting several
countries in May after a scheduled meeting there of the Cairns
Group of free-trade agricultural producing nations.
Howard will also meet his New Zealand counterpart Jim Bolger
in Sydney tomorrow, and Mahathir for informal talks in Brisbane
on March 29.
In November, he plans to attend the scheduled APEC summit in
Manila, which brings together 18 nations from around the Pacific
rim including the United States, Canada, Japan, the ASEANs and
China.
Trade officials are also hopeful that Howard will go ahead
with plans for the Australian Prime Minister to launch a A$20
million (US$15.5 million) trade promotion in New Delhi in
October-November.
While attending the Kyoto meeting Costello also convinced 18
APEC finance ministers to support a symposium in Sydney later
this year to discuss international tax issues.
He said the Kyoto meeting had made significant steps in
proving Australia's commitment to the region under a coalition
government.
"For the new government in Australia it was an opportunity to
underline the importance that we put on APEC," he told reporters.