[asia-apec 1500] Australian Trade Policy - Ashton Calvert

[APEC Monitoring Group]

Excerpt from:

>Speech: Australia's Foreign and Trade Policy Agenda
>3 August 2000
>SPEECH by Dr Ashton Calvert, Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs
>and Trade, to the National Press Club
>

>> OUR TRADE POLICY AGENDA
>
>Australia's key multilateral trade objective is to launch a new round of
>trade negotiations in the WTO at the earliest opportunity.
>
>Australia, like all WTO members, has a vital interest in the global trading
>system, and the potential benefits of a new round for both developed and
>developing countries are enormous.
>
>The OECD estimates that a new round would boost world economic output by 3
>per cent, and DFAT's own analysis finds that global welfare gains from
>halving current trade barriers would be about US$400 billion annually.
>
>Last year, we worked hard to build support for a new multilateral trade
>round, but not all differences could be bridged, particularly in new and
>contentious areas.
>
>Significant differences remain over anti-dumping, investment and
competition
>policies, labour standards and the inter-relationship between trade and the
>environment.
>
>Achieving convergence on these matters will require leadership from the
>United States and the EU, more effective dialogue with developing countries
>about their particular concerns, and flexibility on all sides.
>
>There has been some recent momentum favouring an early round - in APEC, the
>OECD and the G8.
>
>Trade Minister Vaile has been in close contact with Commissioner Lamy, USTR
>Barshefsky and his ministerial counterparts in Asia and the Cairns Group in
>an effort to forge a consensus.
>
>However, with the approaching US presidential elections, a launch of a new
>round is now unlikely until next year.
>
>In the interim, Australia will press ahead vigorously with mandated
>negotiations which have resumed in Geneva on agriculture and services, and
>will encourage further preparatory work on industrial tariffs and
non-tariff
>measures.
>
>Mr Vaile will chair a meeting of the Cairns Group in October in Canada to
>develop new proposals for negotiations on agriculture.
>
>The successful settlement of the Howe leather and Canadian salmon disputes
>has served to focus attention on the WTO dispute -settlement process and
how
>it can be used to protect and pursue Australia's trade interests.
>
>Our record in initiating dispute action - on US lamb, prawns and music
>copyright protection, on Canadian dairy assistance, Indian quantitative
>restrictions, Hungarian export subsidies and Korean beef - highlights the
>active role Mr Vaile intends to pursue in this area.
>
>The Department has established a dispute investigation and enforcement
>mechanism to help exporters identify where WTO challenges can advance their
>interests.
>
>Domestically, issues such as Australia's relationship with the WTO,
>prospects for a new round, trade liberalisation and globalisation more
>generally have continued to feature in public debate.
>
>At Mr Vaile's initiative, the Department has been active in analysing and
>explaining the benefits improved market access will deliver to regional
>communities in Australia.
>
>DFAT has a key role in broadening domestic understanding and support for
>trade liberalisation, and I place importance on continuing industry and
>public consultation in the formation of Australia's multilateral trading
>policies.
>
>APEC continues to mature in a way that reflects well on its Australian
>parentage, and is now the major forum for AsiaPacific leaders, ministers
and
>officials to pursue strengthened regional linkages.
>
>APEC played a particularly successful role in maintaining commitment to
>trade liberalisation during the East Asian financial crisis and remains a
>strong coalition in support of the multilateral trading system.
>
>Ministers at the recent Trade Ministers' meeting in Darwin reinforced their
>commitment to the launch of a new round of negotiations in the WTO,
>including through a strategic plan to develop the capacity of developing
>APEC economies to implement VVTO agreements.
>
>Behind the headlines, the 'nuts and bolts' work of APEC is facilitating
>business in a very concrete and direct way.
>
>Looking to the future, APEC will, of course, maintain its focus on
>liberalisation and facilitation of trade and investment and provide
economic
>and technical cooperation in pursuit of these goals.
>
>But issues like economic and corporate governance, competition policy and
>legal infrastructure are also being pursued.
>
>Finally on the trade front, I want to comment on the growth in interest in
>Free Trade Agreements in the Asia-Pacific region.
>
>Australia takes a pragmatic and flexible approach to FTAs.
>
>Although we continue to believe that the multilateral system offers the
most
>benefits for a medium-sized economy with diverse exports to a wide range of
>markets, we will not be hidebound by an ideological attachment to
>multilateralism.
>
>We will pursue bilateral or regional agreements where they deliver
>substantial gains across the Australian economy which could not be achieved
>in a similar timeframe elsewhere.
>
>As part of Australia's commitment to deepening its regional engagement, we
>are currently involved in a feasibility study of an FTA between Australia,
>New Zealand and the ASEAN Free Trade Area.
>
>This is an important priority for the Department.
>
>A report by a Task Force on which the former Trade Minister, Mr Fischer, is
>participating, is expected to be considered by governments in October.
>
>We are also in active discussion with Japan and the Republic of Korea on
>ways of enhancing and broadening our economic and commercial relationships.
>
>We are looking, in particular, at initiatives in the area of e-commerce,
>services, competition policy and trade facilitation.
>
>A proposal has been made for a regional FTA spanning the Pacific involving
>the United States, Chile, New Zealand, Singapore and Australia.
>
>Australia is ready to look constructively at any initiative which can
>benefit our exporters.

>The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website is located at -
>www.dfat.gov.au
>
>See also www.australia.org.nz
>
>
>