Wednesday, 3 July 2013

APEC DEPART FROM ASEAN FTA PLUS



The Ministry of Trade saw that conferences in the effort of finding solutions to various issues in investment collaboration and trading within the APEC framework departed from the existing ground, i.e. ASEAN AFTA. The collaboration model within the ASEAN FTA could drive APEC to be more realistic. “We would discuss the global environment, regulato­ry discipline issues, ASEAN FTA would even include other countries to make it FTA plus one, or plus two or plus three including China” the Director General of International Collaboration Trading Imam Pambagyo disclosed to Business News (8/2).

The APEC Forum could crystallize subject of discussion in AFTA Plus, although there was no specific discussion. Indonesia kept updating all collabo­ration fora at regional laved including linkages with New Zealand, Australia etc. Investment collaboration in the Asia Pacific region encompassed cost cutting in trading facilities because the core of APEC forum was trade facilities. Expert group was also considering food resilience issues, climate change and con­nectivity among 21 members of APEC. “Connectivity for investment is in building common harbors, and mainstreaming issues and many more subjects to he dissected in the follow up Senior Official Meeting (SOM) in Surabaya, Medan and Bali as this year is Indonesia's turn to be in leadership position."

Indonesia would serve national interest in the APEC forum at the chain of meetings at the First Senior Officials Meeting (SOM 1) APEC 2013 to be held on January 25 to February 7, 2013 in Jakarta. As Chairman of APEC 2013, Indonesia had the objective to promote infra-structure investment, to empower important groups who had the potential in national economic development like small business (UKM), women and farmers and to make sure the market of the ASEAN region would be open for Indonesia’s ex­ported products.

Indonesia's proposition which had won support were:

To synergize collaboration process related to trading and investment in APEC 2013 by preparing the 9th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial conference in Bali, December 2013.

To build connectivity system through physical connectivity, institutional connectivity and people-to-people connectivity in the Asia Pacific Region.

To foster collaboration in development and investment in infra-structure through public-private partnership.

Elaboration of maritime issues in APEC in various collaboration platforms, i.e. food resiliency, connectivity, trading of sustainable marine products, green transportation and marine tourism. This collaboration was meant to support inclusive growth, increased income and employment opportunities es­pecially for the marginal group including fishermen, which was well balanced by maintaining sea conser­vation.

Disaster-anticipation through study and anal­ysis in securing goods transportation safely could be exercised with the help of disaster-responder in­strument in case of danger from the immigration and custom's perspective.

Promoting collaboration in education among APEC Economic communities to promote mobility of students, academicians, and researchers in the Asia Pacific region.

Promoting the role end capacity of farmers in global food resiliency through Government's partnership, the private sector and Farmers.

Collaboration in health which encompassed development of sustainable health system, encourage use of traditional medicines and health financing.

Collaboration in science, technology and in­novation through conducting Chief Science Advisor Meeting in June/July 2013 in Medan. The meeting was chaired jointly by Indonesia and New Zealand, involving the Government, busineesplayers and aca­demicians.

In SOM 1 APEC 2013 there had been ac­complished 31 meetings of 26 sub-for and APEC, 4 workshops; 3 policy dialogue, 13 bilateral meetings end quadrilateral meetings attended by Indonesia and 60 meetings of APEC economists. SOM 1 APEC 2013 was attended by 1300 delegations of 21 APEC economists.

In that meeting, Indonesia was Chairman for the Policy Partnership on Food Security (PPFS), Group on Services (GOS), Anti Corruption Transpar­ency Working Group (ACTWG) Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures (SCCP) and Counter Terrorism Task Force (CTIF).

Series of APEC follow up meetings in Indone­sia, were among others:
1   SOM 2 in Surabaya, 6-19 April 2013;
2.  SOM 3 in Medan, 22 June — 6 July 2013;
3.  Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) in Suraba­ya, 20-21 April 2013;
4.  Small and Medium Enterprises Ministerial Meeting (SMEMM) Bali, September 7, 2013;
5.  High Level Policy Dialogue on Women and the Economy in Bali, September 7, 2013;
6.  Joint Ministerial Level Meeting on Women and SME in Bell, September 7, 2013;
7.  Finance Ministers' Meeting (FMM) in Bali, Sep­tember 20,             2013;
8.  APEC Economic Leaders' Week in Bali, October 1-8, 2013, consist of:
     Concluding SOM (CSOM), October 1-2, 2013 APEC Ministerial Meeting (AMM), October 4-5, 2013
     APEC CEO Summit, October 5-7, 2013;
     ABAC Dialogue with Leaders, October 7, 2013 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (AELM)/IKTT APEC                 2013, October 7-8, 2013.

The Asia -Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) established in 1989 was a regional coopera­tion forum, i.e. Pacific Rim with 21 The members of economy, which were: Australia, Brunel Darussalam, Canada, Chili, Chine, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, the USA, Vietnam, China Taipei, Hong Kong and China.


Business News - February 13,2013

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