SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS OF



SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS OF

THE FIRST SENIOR OFFICIALS' MEETING

FOR THE THIRD APEC MINISTERIAL MEETING

SEOUL, 22-23 OCTOBER 1990

1. The first Senior Officials' Meeting for the third APEC Ministerial Meeting was convened in Seoul on 22-23 October 1990. Delegations from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand and the United States participated at the Meeting. The Secretary General of the ASEAN Secretariat, Director General of the PECC Secretariat and the representative of the South Pacific Forum (SPF) were present as observers.

2. The Meeting was chaired by Mr. See-Young Lee, Ambassador at large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea.

3. Mr. Weerawit Weeraworawit of the ASEAN Secretariat and Mr. Young-Oh Song of the APEC-SOM Secretariat acted as Rapporteurs of the Meeting.

ADOPTION OF AGENDA

4. The draft provisional agenda was adopted without amendment. The adopted Agenda for the Meeting appears in Annex 1.

OUTCOME OF SINGAPORE MINISTERIAL MEETING AND VANCOUVER TRADE MINISTERS' MEETING

5. Singapore briefed the Meeting on the outcome of the second Ministerial Meeting. Senior Officials agreed that the Singapore Meeting was successful in the following aspects.

- Adoption of a strong Declaration highlighting the commitment of the APEC participants to a successful and timely conclusion of the Uruguay Round.

- Agreement on venues for the 4th and 5th Ministerial Meetings.

- Endorsement of seven work projects. - Agreement to conduct consultations with the PRC, Taiwan and Hong Kong on the issue of their participation in APEC.

6. The Canadian delegation presented a report on the Vancouver APEC Trade Ministers Meeting on the Uruguay Round. Senior Officials noted that the success of the Round and the preservation of the multilateral trade system were regarded by APEC participants as vital to the economic health of the APEC region. They also noted that the discussions in Vancouver had registered progress in such areas as market access, textiles, agriculture, safeguards, intellectual property and services. It was recognized that the Vancouver Meeting as a whole had been useful in establishing APEC as a constructive voice on international trade issues. The view was also expressed that APEC, as an informal consultative process, should focus on issues that would serve to strengthen the cooperative process.

PROGRESS REPORTS ON WORK PROJECTS

7. The shepherds of the respective working groups reported on the progress, as well as future work plans for their work projects as follows:

A. Review of Trade and Investment Data

The shepherds reported that this project was proceeding on schedule, with Japan's analysis of merchandise trade inventories and Singapore's questionnaire to clarify gaps and deficiencies in trade data nearly completed. Australia was continuing work on a preliminary inventory of investment data, and New Zealand's questionnaire concerning definitional issues and how services trade data are collected should be ready by the end of this month. The next Working Group meeting together with the experts meeting is tentatively scheduled for late January, 1991, in Tokyo (A progress report on the project is at Annex 2). The Director General of PECC Secretariat briefed the Meeting on its plans to introduce a database facility at PECC headquarters in Singapore.

B. Trade Promotion: Programmes and Mechanisms for Cooperation

Korea reported progress on the 5 trade promotion programmes agreed upon at the last Working Group meeting in June (see Annex 3). Senior Officials noted the following salient points:

- Singapore's proposal to establish an APEC Electronic Information Network.

- Australia's plan to hold a seminar early next year.

- Agreement that trade missions should be designed to help the private sector in trade as well as investment in the region. Agreement that the feasibility of multilateral trade missions needed to be discussed further.

- Japan will define the basic concept of Trade Fair before the middle of next year.

- Korea's proposal as host country for the first training course that a major part of the cost be borne by the host country and the rest, by other participants.

- Thailand had been designated as an additional shepherd.

To prepare for the implementation stage, each coordinating country was encouraged to draw up a detailed proposal including time frame and funding of the programme for consideration at the next Working Group meeting to be held in Malaysia in early 1991.

C. Expansion of Investment and Technology Transfer in the Asia-Pacific Region

Japan submitted a progress report (see Annex 4) to which was attached a Philippine paper on the survey of existing information networks on investment and technology transfer. The Working Group will look at all these existing networks in a meeting to be hosted by Japan on 8-9 November 1990 in Tokyo. This meeting will discuss the appropriate mechanism for APEC purposes and the content of the information network.

In respect of assistance with the establishment and management of technoparks, Japan will host a seminar and site visits on technoparks from 2-7 November 1990 prior to the Working Group Meeting on the whole project. The Working Group will look into government policies creating an environment that attracts investment and technology transfer. It will also recommend appropriate topics for policy discussion by Ministers.

D. Asia-Pacific Multilateral Human Resources Development Initiative

Singapore, as the host of the second Working Group meeting on the APEC Multilateral HRD Initiative, presented the summary conclusion of the meeting held in Singapore on 18-19 October 1990 (see Annex 5) and highlighted the following salient points:

(1 ) Collators were nominated to collect responses on the setting up of a network and draft implementation plans in the work programmes identified at the first Working Group meeting in Tokyo. The collators are:

(a) Economic Development - Korea

(b) Business Management - Japan

(c) Industrial Technology - Australia

(2) PECC's initiative to prepare an Asia-Pacific HRD Outlook 1991-92 was warmly welcomed. It demonstrated that useful and beneficial relationships can be established between the government, academic, and private sectors.

(3) The US elaborated on the APEC Partnership for Education proposed by Secretary of State James A. Baker III at the APEC Ministerial Meeting in Singapore. Draft project activities will be discussed with participants in November 1 990.

(4) On agricultural technology, the relevance of the PECC Agricultural Task Force's work to the HRD Working Group's Programme was noted.

(5) Canada will host the 3rd Working Group meeting in February 1991 in Singapore; and Indonesia will host the 4th Working Group meeting.

The Meeting noted the good progress made in the HRD Initiative and thanked Singapore for hosting the Meeting and getting the work program on track.

The Meeting noted the importance of utilizing the existing institutions and facilities as far as possible.

The Meeting also reconfirmed the significance of the private sector involvement in HRD projects. In this aspect, the Meeting welcomed the "top management seminar" proposed by Japan as a pilot project to promote further exchange of views on business management.

E. Regional Energy Cooperation

Australia reported on the progress on this work project (see Annex 6). Senior Officials reaffirmed the importance of the Energy Work Project, particularly in the light of economic impact of developments in the Middle East. They noted that drafting of discussion papers on each of the five themes identified in the project outline was proceeding. The next meeting of the Energy Officials' Working Group is expected to take place in February 1991.

F. Marine Resource Conservation: Problems of Marine Pollution in the APEC Region

Canada reported on its plan to hold a workshop on Marine Resource Conservation: Problems of Marine Pollution in the APEC Region on 20-21 November 1990 in Vancouver (see Annex 7) and asked participants to prepare topic papers of 2-3 pages on each agenda item. New Zealand reminded participants that responses to the questionnaire on marine pollution were due as soon as possible.

G. Telecommunications

The United States presented a progress report (see Annex 8) from the first Working Group meeting held in Singapore on 5-6 July 1990, outlining a work program that includes both short and long-term projects and involves the private sector wherever possible. Three Working Group meetings are planned to take place before the Seoul Ministerial Meeting and a draft compilation of telecommunications development activities by APEC members will be completed within six months. New Zealand stated that it expected to circulate a draft paper on EDI in cooperation with Japan before the next Working Group meeting in January 1991.

MONITORING OF WORK- PROJECTS

8. The Meeting agreed that it was necessary for Senior Officials to focus their attention on the progress of the work projects including the resource aspect. They would monitor progress, help avoid duplication of efforts, set priorities, and as appropriate, identify and prepare themes and issues arising from the projects which could be taken up for consideration by Ministers. To this end, the Meeting asked the Chairman of SOM to write to the shepherds of working groups, asking them to furnish information on timetables, financial and resource implications which the SOM would use in preparing its recommendations to Ministers.

CONSIDERATION OF ADDITIONAL WORK PROJECTS

9. The Meeting discussed three additional work projects: Fisheries, Transportation and Tourism. They agreed that preliminary work on project formulation could be undertaken on an informal basis in cooperation with all interested parties and that these projects will be considered at the next SOM.

FUTURE PARTICIPATION IN APEC

10. The Chairman informed the Meeting of the results of the consultations that the Republic of Korea, in its capacity as Chair of APEC, had conducted to date with the PRC, Taiwan and Hong Kong pursuant to paragraphs 26, 27 and 28 of the Joint Statement of the Singapore Ministerial Meeting.

Senior Officials requested Korea, as Chair, to continue its consultations with the three economies and to keep them informed of progress.

PREPARATION OF AGENDA FOR SEOUL MINISTERIAL-LEVEL MEETING

11. The Meeting noted that special emphasis should be given to the preparation of discussion items, issues papers and policy recommendations for Ministers in order to ensure the success of the third Ministerial Meeting. Senior Officials agreed to give further consideration to possible agenda items for the Seoul Ministerial Meeting, with a view to discussing them at the next SOM.

12. Recognizing that trade liberalisation should be a major subject for consideration in APEC, Senior Officials agreed that the manner and timing of further discussion on this issue should be determined once the Uruguay Round was concluded. The Meeting noted that trade liberalisation in the region will be an item on the agenda for the next SOM.

OTHER BUSINESS

13. Senior Officials agreed tentatively to convene the next Senior Officials Meeting on 5-6 March 1991.

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