Dr M to attend Apec annual summit
PORT MORESBY (Papua New Guinea): This weekend, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and 20 other leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) member economies are convening here for their annual summit.
The meeting comes amid concerns over trade war, superpowers, such as the United States, China and Japan, jostling for influence in the pacific and the capacity of Apec — the world’s largest regional economic group — to advance free trade and greater prosperity to the people of the region.
US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin opted to stay away this time. This has allowed Chinese president Xi Jinping to take centre stage.
Xi, Dr Mahathir, Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and other heads of government will focus on how to deliver more conclusive socio-economic progress in the Pacific Rim and beyond over two days from tomorrow.
This will culminate with the Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting, which will be chaired by PNG Prime Minister Peter ‘O Neill, on Sunday. It is preceded by the Apec Concluding Senior Officials’ Meeting and Apec Ministerial Meeting.
Dr Mahathir and his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, are expected to arrive in the PNG capital this evening.
International Trade and Industry Minister Darell Leiking and Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah will also attend the forum.
Dr Mahathir is expected to have bilateral talks with some leaders. He will make his first appearance since Apec 2003 in Bangkok.
“The good thing about our prime minister is that he can recall a lot of things that began with Apec,” Leiking said.
“I think I am right to say this. He may be the one who will outlast many leaders. He is still around and is leading our nation again.
“He will be speaking his mind during the meetings to give advice to new and current leaders on how to make Apec successful.”
Senior Apec officials said the forum aimed to delve into issues, such as regional economic integration and digital economy, among others.
Singapore-based Apec Secretariat outgoing executive director Dr Alan Bollard, told Xinhua: “It’s been a year of trade frictions and different views on regional economic integration, so I am expecting we will have more discussions on whether or not Apec will be given a signal on a multilateral trading system, on how we will talk about a free trade area for Asia and Pacific, and on how we will handle the new range of complicated issues around the digital economy.”
The PNG government, meanwhile, hoped that the nation would emerge with trade agreements and a new standing on the world stage.
PNG is by far the weakest of the 21 Apec economies, with a per capita gross domestic product of just US$2,745 (RM11,503) in 2015, according to the International Monetary Fund, and Port Moresby is consistently ranked one of the most dangerous cities in the world. But it has vast swathes of timber, as well as huge mineral, oil and gas deposits.
Its population of eight million, who speak 800 distinct languages and spread out across some 600 islands, is almost twice that of New Zealand, which makes it the second largest Pacific nation.