Apec 99 Programme To Stress Trade, Markets, Community Support Says Shipley

Increasing trade opportunities, improving the operation of markets, and building broader support for APEC will be the three main themes of New Zealand's year in the APEC Chair in
1999, Prime Minister Jenny Shipley announced today.

Mrs Shipley said that as Chair, New Zealand's first responsibility would be to carry forward the agenda already agreed by APEC member economies, including initiatives arising from the
Kuala Lumpur meetings last week. But New Zealand also had the opportunity to develop the APEC agenda.

New Zealand has proposed three main themes for the work programme for 1999:

anding opportunities for doing business throughout the APEC region;
working with other economies to strengthen the functioning of markets;
broadening support for and understanding of APEC in the community.

Mrs Shipley said Leaders in Kuala Lumpur last week had responded positively to these themes. "In Kuala Lumpur we all agreed that APEC's first task must be to respond to the
economic crisis and restore the regional economy to sustainable growth. These initiatives aim to achieve that".

Mrs Shipley said New Zealand wanted to achieve concrete outcomes next year, while keeping up APEC's momentum and setting some challenging objectives for the medium term.

"The first theme emphasises the need to advance APEC's work in opening markets and facilitating trade and investment. It includes further work on Early Voluntary Sectoral
Liberalisation (EVSL), building support for comprehensive multilateral trade negotiations in the WTO, and work on the proposed APEC Food System.

"The second theme aims to strengthen the functioning of markets. This is a bold and important area of work. It means essentially ensuring that markets do what they are good at: providing
opportunities for employment growth - increasing the prosperity of communities.

"New Zealand and other APEC economies have useful experience to share in the reform area. This theme has been developed in recognition of the fact that many APEC members need
help with domestic policies in the face of the economic crisis. I see it as a kind of policy tool-kit of self-help for regional economies.

"The third theme of broadening support will be pursued by a series of initiatives in New Zealand and APEC-wide, next year," Mrs Shipley said.

New Zealand assumes the Chair of APEC on 1 January, and will convene a series of official and Ministerial meetings, culminating in the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Auckland
on 12-13 September 1999.

APEC member economies are: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong China, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua
New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the United States and Viet Nam.