25 Years Ears

The Evolution of PECC: The Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) celebrates its 25th anniversary at a time when the political process towards a peaceful and prosperous Pacific economic community, driven mainly by the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, is facing many new challenges, having reached a critical crossroads. Written by people who have been closely involved in the promotion of THE FIRST 25 YEARS PECC, this collection of essays chronicles the evolution of thoughts and activities which have been driving this pioneering organization, offering a historical perspective of unique value. The Evolution of PECC: These essays describe the antecedents of PECC, how it has been launched, and how its agenda has developed, seeking to anticipate as well as respond to new developments, including some setbacks. They also document the role that PECC played in the launching of APEC THE FIRSTRST and how the organization has contributed to the development of the APEC process. The book concludes with an assessment of the challenges now facing community-building in the Asia Pacific region and how PECC might contribute to overcoming them. 25 YEARSEARS Pacific Economic Cooperation Council PECC International Secretariat 4 Nassim Road Singapore 258372 Tel: +65 67379822/23 Fax: +65 67379824 Email: [email protected] www.pecc.org ISBN: 981-05-4174-0 Pacific Economic Cooperation Council The Evolution of PECC: THE FIRST 25 YEARS THE EVOLUTION OF PECC: THE FIRST 25 YEARS Copyright © by Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior consent of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council. ISBN: 981-05-4174-0 Published by the PECC International Secretariat PECC International Secretariat 4 Nassim Road Singapore 258372 Tel: +65 67379822/23 Fax: +65 67379824 Email: [email protected] www.pecc.org Design and produced by Nest Communications Table of Contents v Preface Kihwan Kim and Soogil Young ix Notes on Authors of Chapters xi Abbreviations xv Overview Andrew Elek 1 Chapter 1 Building Momentum: The Movement Toward Pacific Economic Cooperation Prior to 1980 Mark Borthwick 13 Chapter 2 The Birth of PECC: The Canberra Seminar Andrew Elek 31 Chapter 3 PECC’s Formative Years: Institutionalization of a Process Hadi Soesastro 47 Chapter 4 Setting the Agenda: Achieving Relevance Soogil Young 65 Chapter 5 Back to Canberra: Founding APEC Andrew Elek 93 Chapter 6 PECC’s Intellectual Contribution to APEC: Some Case Studies Hadi Soesastro 117 Chapter 7 The Asian Financial Crisis – A Turning Point? Kihwan Kim 129 Chapter 8 Looking Forward: Emerging Challenges Jusuf Wanandi 139 Chapter 9 PECC, APEC and East Asian Economic Cooperation: Prime Minister Ohira’s Legacy and Issues of the 21st Century Hugh Patrick 163 Annexes 1. PECC Chairs, Coordinating Group Chairs and Director-Generals of the PECC International Secretariat 2. Pacific Economic Cooperation Conferences and General Meetings 3. PECC Member Committees 4. PECC Standing Committee Members 5. Vancouver Statement Preface KIHWAN KIM AND SOOGIL YOUNG PREFACE Launched in Canberra in September 1980, as PECC and its members have published a a movement to promote the idea of a Pacific plethora of reports, papers and articles on Community, PECC celebrates its 25th various issues PECC has been grappling with, anniversary this year. Written by people who there has previously been no document telling, have been closely involved in this movement in a comprehensive way, and from a historical through all those years, this collection of essays perspective, how PECC as an institution has chronicles thoughts and activities on Pacific evolved thus far. That is how this book was economic cooperation which have shaped the first conceived. first quarter-of-a-century of PECC. These essays review the antecedents of PECC and recall how In May, in order to follow up on this agreement, it was launched. They describe how its agenda, Soogil Young organized an ad hoc gathering of along with the attendant institutional features, several PECC colleagues who were participating have evolved by stages since then, relating this in a Joint Meeting of the PECC Trade Forum evolution to critical developments in the Pacific 2005 and the APEC Study Centers Consortium region. They also document the role that PECC Conference 2005 in Jeju, Korea. The group played in the launching of APEC as well as how included, as we recall, Narongchai Akrasanee, it has been contributing to the subsequent Andrew Elek, David Hong, Jean-Luc Le Bideau, development of the APEC process. Drawing Eduardo Pedrosa, Robert Scollay and Hadi lessons from these recollections, which also Soesastro. The group agreed that the main include honest self-criticisms on PECC, the objective of the book should be to chronicle book concludes with an overall assessment of the evolution of thoughts on the concept of challenges now facing PECC along with Pacific cooperation by reviewing the first 25 suggestions on how the organization might years of PECC. The focus was to be on the cope with them. issues PECC has been grappling with; in particular, authors would examine the role it We first discussed the possibility of publishing has been playing in the unfolding of trans-Pacific a book on PECC’s first 25 years when we were relations, and assess the role it should play in in Jakarta one day in April this year. We were the future evolution of these relations. The reminiscing about PECC’s earlier days with group even agreed on a tentative title of the Narongchai Akrasanee and a few other PECC proposed volume: A History of the Pacific colleagues in a lounge of the hotel where the Economic Cooperation Council: A Story with Standing Committee meeting hosted by the an Evolving Future. Indonesian PECC national committee had just been adjourned. All those who were there The group in Jeju also discussed the contents readily agreed that it would be very meaningful of the book, as well as who should and could to publish a collection of personal observations be contributors for each chapter. In doing so, : THE FIRST 25 YEARS by PECC’s “old hands” on the evolution of we identified one major constraint. There was PECC, if possible on the occasion of the only three months to go before the Seoul PECC forthcoming 16th PECC General Meeting to be General Meeting. We had barely more than held in Seoul on 5–7 September, in order to two months during which to complete all the commemorate its 25th anniversary. Although writing. Many people who would be ideal as The Evolution of vi PREFACE contributors might not be available at such short have participated in, and contributed to, the notice for the quick work they would be asked present publication. We should begin with to do. The conclusion was that we should, Andrew Elek, without whom the present nonetheless, push the project and just do our publication would have been impossible. best, in order not to lose the momentum and Andrew, in turn, would not have been able to also not to lose more memories with a further bring this about without the assistance of Betty passage of time. Chin Ip and Eduardo Pedrosa in the PECC Secretariat and Sue Mathews, our meticulous There also emerged a potential remedy to these and professional copy editor. We are also problems. If only we could recruit as the grateful to Christopher Findlay, David Parsons, editor of the volume one of the authors of the Robert Scollay, and Kerrin Vautier, who helped book, who was not only knowledgeable about round out Chapter 6. PECC’s history, but also capable of doing the editing work with both quality and speed, we In the course of the project, there has been could alleviate many of the difficulties posed close consultation between Soogil and Andrew. by time and other constraints. The group During this process, they have relied on the identified Andrew Elek as such an editor. To very able support of Eunsuk Lee, Assistant our great relief, Andrew agreed to accept the Director of KOPEC, for many administrative challenging responsibility. details. We are very grateful to all those mentioned here for the most valuable support The project was launched this way and has they have provided. been coordinated since then by Soogil Young. Soogil sought and won the approval of the We would like to express our appreciation to PECC Standing Committee for the project. He the PECC Standing Committee for having also sought and secured voluntary financial authorized and supported this project. And we contributions from a number of PECC member would like to express our special gratitude committees, namely those of Korea (KOPEC), to KOPEC, JANCPEC, CTPECC, FPTPEC Japan (JANCPEC), Chinese Taipei (CTPECC), and NZPECC for the generous voluntary France (FPTPEC), and New Zealand (NZPECC). contributions they made to supplement the It is remarkable that Andrew has been able to PECC support. mobilize the individual authors, organize the publication process, and complete the editing We are pleased that PECC has been able to of the whole volume while also finding time to release this book on its 25th anniversary. The work on his own chapters within the span of book comes out at a time when the very idea just two months or so. The present book is of a Pacific Community is being questioned. evidence of the success of such hard work by As a result, APEC, the main inter-governmental all the contributors. venue for Pacific economic cooperation, seems : THE FIRST 25 YEARS to have reached a critical crossroads. It is PECC As the people who promoted the publication time for Pacific economies to renew their of the present anniversary volume on PECC, commitment to a Pacific Community and for we would like to acknowledge all those who PECC to renew its own commitment.

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