Summary Conclusions Of

SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS OF THE FIRST SENIOR OFFICIALS’ MEETING FOR THE FOURTH APEC MINISTERIAL MEETING BANGKOK, 2-3 MARCH 1992

1. The First Senior Officials' Meeting for the Fourth APEC Ministerial Meeting was convened in Bangkok on 2-3 March 1992. Delegations from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and the United States participated in the Meeting. The Deputy Secretary General of the ASEAN Secretariat, the Director General of the PECC Secretariat and a representative of the South Pacific Forum (SPF) Secretariat were present as observers. The list of delegations appears as Annex 1.

2. The Meeting was chaired by Mr. Vitthya Vejjajiva, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.

3. Mr. Mohd. Rosli Bin Haji Sabtu of the ASEAN Secretariat and Mr. Apichart Chinwanno of the current APEC SON Secretariat acted as Rapporteurs of the Meeting.

ADOPTION OF AGENDA

4. The draft provisional agenda was adopted without amendment. The adopted agenda appears as Annex 2.

OUTCOME OF THE THIRD MINISTERIAL MEETING

5. The Republic of Korea reported on the achievements of the Third APEC Ministerial Meeting, held in Seoul, 12-14 November 1991, as follows:

i) the adoption of the Seoul APEC Declaration:

ii) the participation in APEC of the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, and Chinese Taipei;

iii) the discussion for the first time on the issue of support and coordination mechanism and funding;

iv) the useful exchange of views on economic trends and issues, the Uruguay Round, the trade liberalization in the region and the APEC work programme:

v) the issuance of a separate APEC Declaration on the Uruguay Round; vi) the endorsement of three additional work projects; and

vi) the approval of the venue for the Sixth Ministerial Meeting in 1994.

ECONOMIC TRENDS AND ISSUES

6. Canada summarized the goals and activities of the Ad Hoc Group on Economic Trends and Issues and outlined its proposal for activities of the Group in the lead up to the Fourth Ministerial Meeting. Japan informed the Meeting of the progress of its survey of economic linkages among APEC economies, to be entitled "Visions and Challenges for Asia Pacific Economies in the year 2000", and indicated that an outline of this survey would be presented to the Second Senior Officials' Meeting in June 1992.

7. The Meeting noted that Ministers welcomed continuing discussions on the economic outlook and trends within APEC, and agreed that the report of the first meeting of the Ad Hoc Group on Economic Trends and Issues provided a useful basis for discussion at the Third Ministerial Meeting in Seoul. 8. The Meeting agreed that the second meeting of the Ad Hoc Group on Economic Trends and Issues could be convened in late July 1992 to discuss the survey of economic linkages as well as recent economic trends and issues. The Meeting further agreed that a report on both aspects of this meeting should be submitted to the Fourth Ministerial Meeting in September 1992, for Ministerial review of any proposals for future action.

REGIONAL TRADE LIBERALIZATION

9. Australia summarized the discussion paper on trade liberalization in the region which appears as Annex 3. The Meeting considered a proposal to convene a meeting of APEC Ministers concerned with trade policy immediately prior to the Fourth APEC Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok. While a principal focus for such a meeting would be on the implications of the outcome of the Uruguay Round for the Asia Pacific region, other subjects could include global and regional trade developments, including sub regional economic and trade arrangements, and the scope for the strengthening of trade in the region.

10. The Meeting agreed that, given the current uncertainties regarding the outcome of the Uruguay Round, no firm decision was possible at this stage on the timing of such a meeting of Ministers. However, it would be useful for the Informal Group on regional trade liberalization to re-convene immediately prior to the next APEC SOM to consider the above three subjects. Such a meeting of the Informal Group would not necessarily be construed as a preparatory meeting for a separate meeting of APEC Ministers concerned with trade policy.

11. It was agreed that work should begin at an early opportunity on a number of background papers for the Informal Group meeting. Offers were made to prepare papers on globalization (by Canada), the implications for APEC of the North American Free Trade Area (by the United States and Canada), of the Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations and Trade Agreement (by New Zealand), of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (by member(s) of ASEAN), and of South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement (SPARTECA) (by SPF). Japan also offered to provide a progress report on the survey of regional economic linkages, particularly in the field of trade for the Informal Group. The Meeting accepted Australia's offer to coordinate arrangements for the meeting of the Informal Group.

12. The option of establishing an Eminent Persons Group (EPG) to carry out work of longer term, more "visionary" issues was deferred for further consideration.

PROGRESS REPORT ON WORK PROJECTS

13. The Meeting took note of the updated list of Future Meeting Schedule of APEC Working Groups which appears as Annex 4.

14. The progress reports delivered by the shepherds could be summed up as follows:

A. REVIEW OF TRADE AND INVESTMENTS DATA

15. The United States presented the progress report which appears as Annex 5. On merchandise trade, the Meeting endorsed the second option in the report of the Working Group to the APEC Ministerial Meeting in Seoul that a database be established. The Meeting encouraged participation in the work project of all APEC members, especially the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei. The Meeting noted that the Fifth Working Group Meeting was tentatively scheduled for early April 1992.

B. TRADE PROMOTION: PROGRAMMES AND MECHANISMS FOR COOPERATION

16. The Republic of Korea presented a progress report of the working Group, which appears as Annex 6. The Meeting noted that the Third Meeting of the Working Group on Trade Promotion would be hosted by Brunei Darussalam in late April 1992. The Meeting commended the considerable progress which had been made under this particular work project. The Meeting noted that the second seminar related to Asia-Pacific Trade Promotion would be held in Osaka in October 1992 and welcomed Korea's offer to host the third seminar on Asia-Pacific Trade Promotion in 1993. The Meeting expressed appreciation to Singapore for its considerable contribution to the successful establishment of the APEC Electronic Information Network (ELIN) which connected Singapore's TDB GlobalLink with the computer system of each APEC member.

C. EXPANSION OF INVESTMENT AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION

17. Japan presented the progress report of the Working Group which appears as Annex 7. The Meeting took note of the achievement of the Working Group activities in such areas as holding "Technopark Seminars," compilation of a "Technopark Manual" and the setting up of APEC Investment and Information Network. Japan also reported that the Working Group had initiated discussions on investment policies. Singapore informed the Meeting of its plan to hold the Third Working Group Meeting with a seminar entitled "Investment Opportunities in APEC Economies" on 1-4 June 1992. The Meeting was of the view that it was highly important and desirable to involve the private sector in activities of the Working Group, including information exchanges on investment policies and opportunities. The Meeting further agreed that it would be useful to include in the agenda of the Working Group Meeting the study on the emerging pattern of intra-APEC investment flow and pattern.

D ASIA-PACIFIC MULTILATERAL HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE

18. Canada presented the report of the Fifth Working Group Meeting held on 9-10 January 1992 in Bangkok which appears as Annex 8. The Meeting took note of the progress in the three HRD Networks, namely Economic Development, Business Management and Industrial Technology. The United States informed the Meeting that the APEC Partnership for Education had already established contacts with 13 institutions, and that the United States proposed to host a meeting of APEC Education Ministers in mid-1992. Japan reported that the symposium on Japan APEC Partnership for Education and Training was held in Tokyo on 19-20 December 1991. The Meeting took note of the importance of PECC's HRD outlook study as a useful exercise for economic development in the region. The Meeting recognized that the HRD activities needed adequate funding so as to put all networks in actual implementation. The Meeting agreed that HRD was the most promising area of cooperation where every APEC participant could participate in and derive benefits from. The Meeting was informed that Australia would host the Sixth Working Group and Network Meetings in Cairns on 26-29 May 1992.

E. REGIONAL ENERGY COOPERATION

19. Australia presented the report on the energy work project which appears as Annex 9. The Meeting took note of considerable progress made in the agreement on a common format for data exchange on the Energy Supply and Demand, a plan to convene an Expert Group on the Energy and the Environment, and a seminar involving the private sector on the feasibility of establishing an APEC Coal Utilisation Centre. The Meeting noted Japan's schedule to host an Expert Meeting on the Energy Database on 17-18 March 1992, and Thailand's schedule to host an Expert Group on Transfer of Technologies on 21 March 1992. The Meeting also noted that the United States had undertaken an initial survey of energy efficiency and conservation policies and anticipated a meeting on this subject in the near future, and Japan was preparing for a seminar on New Energy to be held in 1992. The Fourth Meeting of the Energy Working Group would take place in Sydney on 19-20 Nay 1992, in conjunction with the fifth meeting of the PECC Minerals and Energy Forum. The Meeting noted the Republic of Korea's offer to hold the Fifth Meeting of the Working Group prior to the Bangkok Ministerial Meeting in early September.

F. MARINE RESOURCE CONSERVATION: PROBLEMS OF MARINE POLLUTION IN THE APEC REGION

20. Canada introduced the Progress Report of this Working Group which appears as Annex 10. The Meeting noted that the Third Meeting of the working Group would be convened at Canada's Institute of Ocean Sciences near Victoria, British Columbia, possibly in April 1992. The objective of this meeting would be to develop an action plan on the development of a coastal zone planning and management framework responsive to the unique needs of APEC members. The action plan would focus on the accepted need to develop and expand data bases on coastal zone marine resources and the development conflicts that may pose a threat to their sustainable development and use. The report of this meeting would be submitted to APEC Senior Officials with a view to this important regional initiative being announced at the UNCED Conference in Rio de Janeiro.

G. TELECOMMUNICATIONS

The United States presented a progress report which appears as Annex 11. The Meeting noted four areas of activities which were being carried out, namely data compilation, the making of a manual/guidelines on "How to Approach Training within a Telecommunications Organization," electronic data interchange (EDI), and teleports. The Meeting also took note of the accomplishments made so far by the Working Group and the strong and active involvement in the work project by the private sector. The future activity would include the utilization of the data from the survey of telecommunications environment as a base to develop recommendations to promote regional networks and improve efficiency, the implementation of the electronic data interchange pilot project using automated data processes in customs operations, the further definition of the teleports concept built on Japanese-led study.

22. Thailand reported to the Meeting that it planned to organize an editorial meeting to finalize the text of the manual on "How to Approach Training within a Telecommunications Organization" in Pattaya in August 1992. The Meeting noted that Thailand would undertake the preparation of the master copy before the Fourth APEC Ministerial Meeting, and that questions relating to the publication of the manual would be discussed at the working Group. New Zealand reported that a meeting had been held in Auckland on 26 February 1992 to initiate an EDI pilot project to demonstrate the benefits of adopting EDI techniques. The Fifth Meeting of the working Group on Telecommunications would be held in Seoul, Korea, on 25-27 March 1992. The United States offered to host the Sixth Meeting of the working Group in Honolulu on 27-30 July 1992.

H. FISHERIES

23. New Zealand presented the progress report on Fisheries which appears as Annex 12. The Meeting noted that several APEC participants together with the South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), UNCED and PECC had been preparing surveys on a series of fisheries related topics. Most of these papers had been completed and were now being distributed to APEC participants. Japan offered to host the Second Working Group Meeting in late April or Nay 1992, to prepare recommendations to the APEC SOM and Ministerial Meeting on the role which APEC might play in promoting fisheries cooperation. Thailand also offered to host the Third Working Group Meeting in 1993, possibly in Phuket.

I. TRANSPORTATION

24. The United States presented the summary conclusion of the First Working Group Meeting held in Singapore on 9-10 October 1991, which appears as Annex 13. The four work projects were highlighted in the presentation, namely a survey of APEC economies' transportation bottlenecks, a survey of APEC economies' transportation data, a survey of national transportation systems and services in APEC economies, and a review of related transportation work being undertaken in other international bodies. The Meeting noted that the Second Working Group Meeting would review the progress of these surveys and would be held in Manila, the Philippines on 10-12 March 1992. The Meeting was also informed that the United States planned to schedule a seminar on transportation technology sponsored by private industries in late 1992. The study on vision of the future transportation system would also be conducted as APEC approached the year 2000.

J. TOURISM

25. The Meeting noted the progress report on Tourism work Project which appears as Annex 14. The United States reported that an exchange of information on APEC members' tourism structures had taken place but was not yet completed. The working Group proposed consideration of future activities including the collection and improvement of tourism data collection, the identification and reduction of barriers to tourists, training and education, and the further exchange of information on tourism related - topics such as aviation and environment. The second meeting of the working Group on Tourism meeting was scheduled for early June 1992 to explore next steps on the above activities. OTHER PROJECT-RELATED ISSUES

26. The Meeting took note of the Chinese Taipei's project proposal on Promoting Development of Medium and Small Enterprises through Cooperation which appears as Annex 15. Chinese Taipei informed the Meeting that this proposal was not intended as a new APEC work project. The Meeting welcomed the proposal, given the importance of small and medium scale businesses for many APEC's economies, and agreed to entrust the shepherds of the relevant working Groups to examine the Chinese Taipei's proposal and consider how the development of small and medium enterprises could be incorporated into their work projects and report to the next SOM.

27. The Meeting took note with satisfaction of the development in various work projects and expressed the hope that with final agreement on a support mechanism and funding arrangement, better coordination and more efficiency in implementation of work projects could be achieved.

28. The Meeting took note of and encouraged the contribution of the private sector to the activities of the work projects. .

The Meeting welcomed the strong interest expressed by the three new participants in participating actively in all current work projects. In this connection, the Meeting urged the respective shepherds to provide the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei with information needed to take part in the ten APEC work projects.

FUTURE STEPS OF APEC

30. The Meeting took note of the Report of the Chairmen's Group Meeting, held in Bangkok on 28-29 February 1992, which appears as Annex 16.

31. Noting the preliminary nature of the deliberations in the Chairmen's Group Meeting, the Meeting agreed on the need for further detailed study on the basic issues outlined in paragraphs 5 and 10 of the Report of the Chairmen's Group Meeting and mandated Thailand to undertake a more elaborated study on the said issues.

32. The Meeting requested interested members and observers to transmit relevant inputs to Thailand by the end of March 1992, so as to enable Thailand to circulate a new Working Paper prior to the next SOM.

FUTURE PARTICIPATION IN APEC

33. The Meeting considered the Information Paper on Future Participation in APEC which appears as Annex 17. In pursuing the mandate granted it by the Seoul Ministerial Meeting to consider the issue of additional participation, the Meeting recalled the criteria in the Seoul APEC Declaration, and noted that APEC was entering a phase when consolidation should be an important consideration. The SOM will accordingly consider this issue at its next meeting with a view to preparing a recommendation to Ministers.

OTHER MATTERS

34. The Meeting agreed to convene the Second APEC SOM tentatively on 23-24 June 1992 in Thailand.

35. The Meeting took note of Thailand's proposal to host the Fourth APEC Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok on 10-11 September 1992. The Ministerial Meeting would be preceded by an APEC SOM scheduled to be held on 7-8 September 1992, subject to the timing of any meeting of Ministers concerned with trade policy, should this be agreed.

36. The Meeting took note of the letter of the Chair of PECC Standing Committee which appears as Annex 18. The Meeting was of the view that, in view of the current discussion on the future steps of APEC, it was too early to come to any conclusion on a structured relationship between APEC and PECC. The Meeting also viewed that at present PECC could participate in many of APEC's activities. 37. The Meeting took note of PBEC's request to observe the Bangkok APEC Ministerial conferences and to contribute to the SON and working Groups, as contained in the PBEC International Director General's letter which appears as Annex 19. The Meeting agreed to defer its consideration on this issue to the next APEC SOM.

ADOPTION OF THE SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS

38. The Meeting adopted the Summary Conclusions of the First APEC SOM, 2-3 March 1992.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

39. The Meeting expressed its appreciation to the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand for the warm hospitality and excellent facilities provided for the Meeting.