The 2002 APEC Summit

by Truong Hong Khanh

30 October 2002

Heads of state of Asia Pacific countries emphasised the need to crack down on terrorist groups as a way of ensuring increased trade in the region. The 2002 Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) meeting in Mexico released a declaration on October 27 outlining ways of making it harder for extremist groups to operate internationally. The concern over terror attacks from extremist groups dominated a conference that normally focuses on economic issues, by reducing trade barriers and fighting corruption. However, leaders of the APEC also called for the conclusion of global trade talks by 2005, including progress in contentious areas by the World Trade Organisation's next meeting in 2003. The APEC leaders in a joint statement issued in Los Cabos endorsed the elimination of agricultural export subsidies. WTO members must reach an agreement by March 2003 on the basic framework of negotiations in agriculture, the area of greatest interest for most countries in the talks.

Indonesia's President, Megawati Sukarnoputri, called for nations around the world to stand firm against terror attacks, referring to the night club bombing in Bali two weeks before.

"We are the prime victim of that act of terrorism... Clearly we must fight terrorism that might take place wherever whenever and by whomever," she said.

Fair trade

Ms Megawati was speaking before closed talks between the APEC heads of state, aimed at developing common immigration and customs practices to boost security. Her words were backed up by the Philippine President, Gloria Arroyo, but in a veiled reference to US farm tariffs, Ms Arroyo went on to say that it was the responsibility of developed nations to ensure fair trade practices with poorer countries. To ignore that economic imperative, she said, would feed terrorism by promoting hunger, disease and ignorance. In fact, she stated, terrorism in a way is a message by the downtrodden people saying that they are fed up with the excesses of developed nations.

The risk to wealthy nations of failing to reduce poverty was a theme picked up by the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Globalisation has turned the world into an international village, he said, a village where if one house burns, no one is safe.

APEC leaders call for new global trade agreements by 2005

Leaders of the APEC called for the conclusion of global trade talks by 2005, including progress in contentious areas by the World Trade Organisation's next meeting in 2003. The APEC leaders in a joint statement issued on October 27 also endorsed the elimination of agricultural export subsidies. WTO members must reach an agreement by March on the basic framework of negotiations in agriculture, the area of greatest interest for most countries in the talks.

They also had to decide, by the end of 2002, on the issue of how to provide access to generic life-saving drugs for poor countries.

Countries were supposed to launch negotiations on national competition policy and rules for foreign direct investment at the 2003 WTO meeting in Cancun (Mexico).

The recent meeting of APEC Foreign and Trade Ministers held in Los Cabos before the APEC Summit focused on issues of promoting APEC economic cooperation, exchanging views on a multilateral trade system, and supporting the negotiations process at the WTO, said Vietnamese deputy Trade Minister Le Danh Vinh.

Vinh also told the press that Viet Nam had asked for no abuse of anti-dumping regulations to disguise trade protection measures, and for an open-door market for farm produce from developing countries. Viet Nam reported on the process of its accession to the WTO and called on APEC members to support Viet Nam in the process, Vinh added.