CHINA / APEC Summit
Apec leaders seek free, open trade
By Sun Shangwu (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-11-20 05:07
HANOI: Asia-Pacific leaders yesterday promised greater efforts to realize
free and open trade and investment in the region, and appealed for an end
to the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
Leaders of the 21-member group adopted the Hanoi Declaration after
concluding the two-day meeting, in which they vowed to increase energy
security.
They also released an oral statement on the Korean Peninsula nuclear
issue before donning traditional Vietnamese silk ao dai tunics for a
photo session.
Leaders agreed to promote regional economic integration, but put off the
US-backed idea of creating an APEC-wide free trade zone until 2007.
"We instructed officials to undertake further studies on ways and means
to promote regional economic integration, including a Free Trade Area of
the Asia-Pacific as a long-term prospect," said the declaration.
The group, representing roughly half of world trade and nearly 60 per
cent of the world economy, reaffirmed support to jump-start the Doha
Round of global trade talks.
"The consequences of the failure of the Doha Round would be too grave for
our economies and for the global multilateral trading system," it said.
Participants are determined "to continue efforts to combat terrorism in
every form," but said "any measures taken to combat terrorism must comply
with our international obligations."
President Hu Jintao told the meeting in the morning that terrorism should
be tackled with a comprehensive strategy. "We should tackle both the
symptoms and the root cause," said Hu, calling for removing the breeding
ground for terrorism.
The APEC leaders also discussed co-operation on coping with pandemic
diseases, the fight against HIV/AIDS, and emergency preparedness and
disaster response.
They said energy security is "critical for sustainable economic
development" and urged member economies to facilitate energy investment
and cross-border energy trade, to develop new and renewable energy
sources and technologies to ensure cleaner use of fossil fuels and to
boost energy efficiency and conservation.
The declaration did not include the nuclear issue on the Korean
Peninsula, which was a focus of attention at the APEC forum.
Leaders released an oral statement, which expressed "strong concern"
about the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) nuclear test
last month.
It called for full implementation of UN resolutions against the DPRK and
urged Pyongyang to fulfil a September 2005 agreement that committed it to
give up nuclear arms in return for security and aid guarantees.
Founded in 1989, APEC is a major regional forum for promoting open trade
and practical economic and technical co-operation in the Asia-Pacific
region.
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