Big Thunder, Little Rain

FORGET Helsinki or Geneva— the most important summit of the Clinton Presidency will take place in Seattle starting November 16. President Clinton will use this port city as the venue for a summit meeting of the 15 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) nations. The importance of such a get-together appears self-evident: APEC (including the United States) has a combined GNP greater than that of the G-7, and armies larger than NATO’s. Moreover, if, as is often said, we are moving toward “the Pacific century,” APEC offers the best forum for defining that term in a way that is consistent with American interests. The economic issues APEC deals with make the summit a natural arena for the United States, which has by far the largest economy in the Pacific. And unlike some of the thornier political issues in the region, trade issues find most of the APEC countries taking the same general approach, seeking greater openness, “transparency” (the codification and public dissemination of a country’s trade rules), and the elimination of non-tariff barriers.

Not that anyone expects it to be easy. APEC was formed only four years ago, and there are bound to be strains within a group so young and diverse. Besides the U.S., APEC comprises Canada, Japan, South Korea, the “three Chinas” (the PRC, Taiwan, and Hong Kong), Australia, New Zealand, and the six countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations or ASEAN (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand).

FL

About the Author

Frank Lavin

Frank Lavin is a fellow at the Dornsife Center at the University of Southern California. He worked on China policy in the U.S. Department of Commerce and worked in banking and business in China. His latest book is Inside the Reagan White House.

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FORGET Helsinki or Geneva— the most important summit of the Clinton Presidency will take place in Seattle starting November 16. President Clinton will use this port city as the venue for a summit meeting of the 15 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) nations. The importance of such a get-together appears self-evident: APEC (including the United States) has a combined GNP greater than that of the G-7, and armies larger than NATO’s. Moreover, if, as is often said, we are moving toward “the Pacific century,” APEC offers the best forum for defining that term in a way that is consistent with American interests. The economic issues APEC deals with make the summit a natural arena for the United States, which has by far the largest economy in the Pacific. And unlike some of the thornier political issues in the region, trade issues find most of the APEC countries taking the same general approach, seeking greater openness, “transparency” (the codification and public dissemination of a country’s trade rules), and the elimination of non-tariff barriers.

Not that anyone expects it to be easy. APEC was formed only four years ago, and there are bound to be strains within a group so young and diverse. Besides the U.S., APEC comprises Canada, Japan, South Korea, the “three Chinas” (the PRC, Taiwan, and Hong Kong), Australia, New Zealand, and the six countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations or ASEAN (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand).

FL

About the Author

Frank Lavin

Frank Lavin is a fellow at the Dornsife Center at the University of Southern California. He worked on China policy in the U.S. Department of Commerce and worked in banking and business in China. His latest book is Inside the Reagan White House.