Expansion of APEC brief unlikely

Taiwan is unlikely to benefit directly from a proposed integration of regional security issues by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum [APEC], government officials and scholars said yesterday.

Although foreign policy experts say the incorporation of security issues by APEC could be a natural extension of the economic group's remit, such changes would face many obstacles.

"The design and purpose of APEC is not to discuss security issues," said Andrew Hsia (夏立言), director of the foreign ministry's department of international organizations. "The issue has been brought up many times, but it is another matter whether it can be implemented."

While he agreed with former Philippines president Fidel Ramos' comments -- made during the closing speeches of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) meeting on Saturday -- that political and economic stability are closely linked, Hsia said he had doubts about the proposals.

"Of course it would be a positive development if we could address security issues on an equal footing [with other countries], but it brings up the issue of what security is and whether all members are invited to such discussions," Hsia said.

Ramos and former Australian prime minister Bob Hawke suggested at the PECC meeting in Manila that regional security issues should be integrated into the APEC forum.

PECC is the non-governmental counterpart of APEC, mainly of business leaders and academics, where discussions tend to focus on trade liberalization.

Hawke, who proposed the creation of APEC in 1989, pointed to the pre-dominance of issues relating to the East Timor conflict at the recent APEC meeting in New Zealand as an example of how the organization could become an "Association for Productive Exchange on Conflict" (APEC).

Instead of discussing non-trade topics in an "ad hoc and informal" way, Ramos said APEC should "formalize" the process by holding ministerial meetings on trade, finance and security prior to the leaders' summit.

"What I am proposing is that APEC also integrate security and political issues into its deliberations so that it becomes a more dynamic organization to meet the challenges of the 21st century," Ramos said.

Advocating and implementing such a proposal are two different things, foreign policy analysts said, and there is also the question of Taiwan's participation in the forum.

"APEC was unable to do anything during the Asian economic crisis; how could it solve more sensitive issues like regional security?" said Southeast Asia analyst Chen Hurng-yu (3純E瑜), from National Chengchi University's Institute of International Relations.

The Asian Regional Forum (ARF), formed by members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), would also have conflicting interests with a security-enhanced APEC, Chen said.

"For the most part the ASEAN nations want minimal interference by the US in the region," Chen said, "If the scope of APEC is enlarged to include security issues, it would inevitably increase US influence in the region."

Philip Yang (楊永明), a political scientist from National Taiwan University, said former US Defense Secretary William Perry suggested a security component for APEC back in 1993. He said developments in North Korea, East Timor and possibly cross-strait tensions, have brought the idea back onto the agenda once again.