Pacific Rim officials met under tight security yesterday to discuss how to revive stalled world trade talks and acknowledged a sad early 21st century fact: Economies can't grow if they are threatened by terror.
Laying the groundwork for next week's annual summit of leaders of the APEC forum, the officials from 21 economies looked at what could be salvaged from last month's collapse of global trade negotiations in Cancun, Mexico.
However, terrorism was also on their minds. They considered improved security mechanisms for passenger and cargo transport, among counter-terror measures, a senior Australian official said.
"APEC has been actively responding to the threats terrorism poses to the safety, economic security and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region,"Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile said in a statement in Canberra.
Regional leaders view security and prosperity as inseparable issues, said a senior US delegate to the closed-door talks, speaking on condition she was not identified.
The US and Thailand planned to demonstrate a project on using electronic seals on shipping containers to track their movement from the time they leave a factory in Thailand to when they reach a port in Seattle, the official said.
Particularly since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, authorities have worried that terrorists could use shipping containers to transport weapons or explosives into highly populated areas, where they could be detonated, causing massive damage or casualties.
Thai authorities were tightening security ahead of the gathering. Flag carrier Thai Airways said it would be deploying air marshals on all its flights during the meetings, the air space over Bangkok was closed and police were preparing to shut down many streets in the Thai capital.
Thailand's air force spent 300 million baht (US$7.5 million) on upgrading security at Bangkok International Airport, including deploying anti-aircraft missiles mounted on armored personnel carriers and infrared alarm systems to guard against intruders.
Hundreds of policemen secured the Queen Sirikit Convention Center where the meeting is taking place, with delegates, journalists and staff checked thoroughly before being let inside after passing through metal detectors.
The collapse of global trade talks just over a month ago in Cancun, Mexico, makes APEC's support for trade liberalization and the rules-making WTO all the more crucial, officials said.
"The APEC meeting provides an important opportunity for ministers to assess the outcomes from Cancun and to explore options" for restarting the talks, Vaile said.
APEC's stated goal is for free trade and investment among developed members by 2010, and among developing economies by 2020. The grouping has typically voiced support for WTO moves to reduce barriers to global commerce.
Though the regional summit gives leaders a chance to emphasize their agreement on key issues, both Hu and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi are likely to face heavy pressure from US president George W. Bush on currency valuations that Washington contends give their nations unfair trade advantages.
"Markets ought to be determining respective currencies," Bush said in an interview with Asian journalists Tuesday, on the eve of a nine-day trip through Asia.
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