U.S. and Hong Kong (2002)

U.S. APEC Coordinator Previews Meetings in Los Cabos

Following is the transcript of the interview:

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INTERVIEW WITH AMBASSADOR LAWRENCE GREENWOOD APEC COORDINATOR
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
October 2002

QUESTION: Could you describe the overall U.S. goals for the APEC meetings in Los Cabos, Mexico?

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QUESTION: Could you elaborate on the kinds of actions leaders might take with respect to security and counterterrorism? At their 2001 meeting in Shanghai, shortly after the September 11 attacks, APEC leaders pledged enhanced cooperation in a number of areas, including transportation security and safety, customs and immigration. Do you expect them to build on this?

AMBASSADOR GREENWOOD: In Los Cabos, we'll be looking for new kinds of cooperation using new technologies. We expect, for example, that leaders will commit to the accelerated implementation of a standard model for customs reporting, so that there will be one electronically-based customs reporting system in the region by a certain date. We're still working on what that date would be, but the goal is to have a system would make it easier for traders to complete transactions and would also make it easier for Customs officials to easily exchange information.

It's an initiative that lowers the cost of trade, speeds the flow of trade across borders, and also makes it easier for law enforcement to intercept illegal activity. That's just one area.

Another example is what we're doing bilaterally to improve trade security throughout the region with the Container Security Initiative, which is an initiative of the U.S. Customs Service. Our CSI partners right now include both Singapore and Hong Kong. I mentioned earlier that we were exploring new forms of cooperation -- and this is an example of that, because it involves having U.S. customs officials on the ground in ports of partner economies to help protect the safety of the ports and to help identify high-risk shipments. This initiative has two effects. One, obviously, is to catch more of the bad guys. Secondly, it allows for the more efficient movement of cargo.

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QUESTION: APEC is also very involved in pushing through banking reform, financial sector reform, and getting rid of non-performing loans. I assume the focus here is on the Japanese economy?

AMBASSADOR GREENWOOD: No, it's definitely not just Japan. This problem is almost universal throughout the region. Japan is the largest economy in East Asia -- the biggest just in terms of size. In terms of percentage of gross domestic product, actually, China has problems of about the same magnitude; Indonesia has a serious banking bad-loan problem; Malaysia and Thailand have significant problems in their financial sectors.

Korea has been the most aggressive economy in addressing this problem, and is something of a pillar of strength for the region, because it has undertaken the most significant reforms in its financial sector. There's still a lot more to do there, but they've certainly been the most aggressive.

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QUESTION: There's another high-technology issue in which Asia-Pacific economies have been showing interest: the use of biotechnology to increase agricultural productivity. Is APEC involved in that arena?

AMBASSADOR GREENWOOD: We have something new in APEC called the agricultural biotechnology policy dialogue, which was agreed to over the past year. We've already held our fist session where we brought together regulators to talk about the regulatory environment in their economies, and to discuss how best to promote research and development in the areas that are going to be the most beneficial to the people of the region. The idea is to make it possible for economies to create the foods and technologies necessary to meet their needs as soon as possible -- as well as ensuring safety.

There's strong interest in the region in developing agricultural biotechnology. Economies like China, Japan, Australia and Thailand are especially involved in terms of research and development investments. There is a lot of support for biotechnology; there's a lot of recognition that it can be the critical element to food security. What we're trying to do is develop common approaches for the safe and science-based introduction of bio-engineered foods in the region.

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