Asia-Pacific forum still promotes free trade
DANANG, VIETNAM — An annual Pacific Rim summit is sticking with its tradition of promoting free trade and closer regional ties, shrugging off President Donald Trump’s “America First” approach.
The leaders of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum said Saturday that they had recommitted to fighting protectionism and “all unfair trade prac- tices.” They also expressed support for multi-country institutions trade destiny doubt the well of announced pushing trade cific Trade the U.S. as Partnership, agreements. Pacific deal, after country-to-country had out. ahead ministers an and Trump the been Rim agreement with regional Trans-Pa- countries cast from whose pulled a free- into on as 11
ment leaders without at Efforts the on last unable the how to moment, U.S. get to to an stumbled proceed formally agree- with endorse announced deal, But with trade the some proposal. a preliminary ministers details to be Canadian worked out Prime later. Minister Justin ers that Trudeau environmental told report- protection, issues and labor the rights, auto industry gender were areas needing work, though he did not go into specifics.
“We got a lot of work done, but there is still more work to do,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau said his unexpected absence from a TPP leaders’ meeting on Friday, which caused consternation among his fellow leaders and confusion about Cana- da’s an Japanese Shinzo close he “We Increasingly, extra-long said. stance, the Abe. were TPP Prime stemmed not 11 meeting yesterday,” APEC Minister ready sum- from with to mits an talks, to showcase opportunity have and become for their host for such growing more nations side of affluence. ferent Trump’s stances dramatically from his pre- difdecessor, such as his Barack “America Obama First” — trade strategy and his skepticism over climate change — were apparent in Danang. But his hosts and the other leaders took it in stride. As an institution, apart from its pageantry and its tradition of drawing leaders together for face-toface meetings, APEC mainly serves as a laboratory for trying out policies and encour- aging “best practices,” said Alan Bollard, executive direc- tor for APEC’s secretariat. Unlike the TPP trade pact, whose decisions will eventually be enforced, APEC’s statements are nonbinding.
“We’re in an easier place to try things out, to test policy sensitivities even if we don’t get everybody around the table,” Bollard said.
The declaration issued Saturday contain calls for continued work to improve food security, to help ensure the benefits of economic growth are more evenly shared and to make member countries more business-friendly, among a slew of development-related plans. It also contained measures addressing climate change.
APEC’s members are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.
The countries participating in the newly renamed Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.