APEC consensus emerges on new round of trade talks: DG of T
Wednesday, September 8, 1999

Director-General of Trade, Mr Joshua Law, said today (Wednesday) that there was a consensus that APEC economic leaders should send a strong political message for a new set of global trade liberalisation talks.

Speaking after the two-day APEC Senior Officials Meetings (SOM)in Auckland, Mr Law said APEC members had "embraced the important concept" that a new set of broad-based, multi-lateral trade talks should be initiated at the Word Trade Organization's (WTO) 3rd Ministerial Conference in Seattle in November.

"The focus of talks, and a lot of discussion was on APEC's contribution to the WTO," said Mr Law, who is attending his first annual APEC after becoming Director-General of Trade in August.

He said APEC members also believed that a time limit should be set for the trade liberalisation talks being referred to as the 'Millennium Round'.

"The last round of talks was the Uruguay Round and they took more than seven years to complete, which was too long," he said.

"Most APEC members believe that any new round should not be allowed to drag on for that long and that a timeframe of about three years would be more appropriate and meaningful."

Mr Law confirmed that the APEC SOM had agreed to call for accelerated accession negotiations for those APEC members not yet in the WTO.

Four of APEC's 21 members have yet to join the WTO - China, Chinese Taipei, Russia and Viet Nam.

Tomorrow (Thursday) Secretary for Trade and Industry, Mr CHAU Tak Hay, will be among the ministers of the 21 APEC members to consider the final SOM report during two days of talks.

The Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, is due to arrive in Auckland on Saturday ahead of the annual APEC Economic Leaders Meeting scheduled for September 12 and 13.