And a regional type, within which the business sector plays a central role. One such organization is APEC. The decoding of the abbreviation sounds like Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
History of creation
The APEC association began its existence in 1989. The states that created the association had an identical desire - to improve the standard of living in the Asia-Pacific region by stimulating the economy and strengthening trade.
The community began with industry and trade negotiation programs. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation includes 21 states. These are Australia and Brunei, Vietnam and Hong Kong, Indonesia with Canada, China and the Republic of Korea, Malaysia with Mexico, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, Peru and Russia, Singapore and the USA, Thailand and Taiwan, the Philippines, as well as Chile and Japan.
After Russia, Peru and Vietnam were included in the list of countries participating in the association (in 1997), the community introduced a 10-year moratorium on the future expansion of the list of community members.
Origins of the formation of the association
The APEC union, which stands for Asia-Pacific, was initially viewed not as a union of states, but as a tandem of economies. The organization was initially aimed at solving not political, but exclusively economic issues. APEC was formed as a forum that did not have and was not supported by any bureaucratic apparatus. Even today, the association's secretariat, located in Singapore, includes 23 diplomats. Each of the representatives was chosen by the participating economies of the project. The secretariat also employs 20 local employees. In comparison with the WTO, APEC, which is explained above, is not based on the rules for the formation of organizations that provide for enforcement powers in the event of trade disputes.
Partnership specifics
The specifics of the work are consultations and the desire to reach consensus. The partnership process between states is built on the open exchange of information between countries and the public. The community is based on collective and individual action plans created by the members of the association that help achieve the goals of each state. The plans include detailed data on 15 sectors of activity. These include tariffs and non-tariff measures, services and investment, standards and compliance, customs processes and intellectual property rights protection, competition policy and government procurement, product release rules and direct mediation of disputes, business mobility, and information gathering and concentration.
APEC's global role
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation covers about 40% of the population. The total GDP of all participating countries exceeds $16 trillion, which corresponds to 60% of world GDP. APEC leaders have become the main instrument for promoting open trade and initiating economic cooperation in the region. The participating countries account for at least 42% of total world trade. The role of the group has greatly increased over the past 20 years. Community members are currently active:
- carry out trade liberalization;
- assist anyone;
- provide mutually beneficial economic and technical partnerships;
- deal with youth and women's issues.
General ideas and preferences
APEC, which has already been explained above, is based on the assertion that business is the basis of work, and to achieve success it must be stimulated. At the first stages of the community's work, systematic consultations were carried out with the best representatives of the business segment in the Asia-Pacific region.
In 1995, it was decided to create a Business Advisory Council, which became a key body for the work of the entire community. All APEC member countries appointed at least 3 people to the council who could express the interests of national business. Annual ABAC summits are held to ensure that state representatives present generalized recommendations on the following issues:
- implementation of community program documentation, which is associated with the liberalization of not only the trade but also the investment regime;
- development of economic and technical partnerships;
- identifying community positions regarding business problems.
Each of the reports is prepared not separately by each state, but in close cooperation with experts from government agencies.
First effective steps
APEC, whose list of countries is constantly growing, made its first productive decisions in 1990-2000. The emphasis was placed on simplifying visa formalities for business people of the economies of the member states of the association. Barriers to the free movement of not only goods, but also investments were lowered. The expansion of strategic initiatives in the field of business partnerships was stimulated. The ABAC Task Force has begun active efforts to integrate internationally acceptable material standards. Active efforts have been made to build capacity and strengthen the financial system at the international level.
A task force of experts within the community is working hard to activate e-commerce. A set of measures was developed to reduce the “digital gap” between APEC economies. The list of countries participating in the association allows you to see how different the level of integration of virtual technologies into the business sphere was in different countries. Today this problem has already been completely resolved.
First summit in Russia
In May 2001, the first meeting was held in Moscow within the framework of the APEC Forum. It was attended by 100 representatives of the business elite of the Asia-Pacific region. Russia, for its part, initiated the creation of the APEC Business Club, which includes more than 50 large-scale domestic firms and banks that focus their activities on the Asia-Pacific region.
According to the Russian President, the country intends to take an active part in the development of the community's activities, including the adaptation of the country's legal framework while simultaneously developing democracy. The government of the great state is well aware that it has excellent prospects for prosperity within the dynamically developing trading region.
2014 Beijing Summit
The last APEC summit took place in November 2014 in Beijing. The result of the negotiations was a 24-page declaration. The leaders of the participating states decided to engage in stimulation and continue to be active in the direction of abandoning protectionism.
The APEC summit in Beijing became the basis for the association's members to continue the fight against the fragmentation of regional trade. The community has set its sights on developing online finance. Moreover, an almost unanimous agreement was adopted regarding the development of areas of partnership with which in the future should prevent the spread of the Ebola epidemic.
The APEC summit in Beijing was focused on resolving the issue of development during a crisis period. The emphasis was placed on the fact that each country should independently search for the driving forces for its economy.
APEC's goal is to enhance economic growth, regional prosperity, and strengthen the Asia-Pacific community. The participating economies are home to approximately 40% of the world's population, account for approximately 54% of GDP and 44% of world trade.
APEC members
There are currently 21 countries in APEC, including most of the countries with a coastline near the Pacific Ocean. One of the few international organizations that Taiwan has joined with full Chinese approval. As a result, APEC adopted the term participating economies, but not participating countries.
| Participating economies | Date of entry |
|---|---|
| Australia Australia | 1989 |
| Brunei Brunei | 1989 |
| Canada Canada | 1989 |
| Indonesia Indonesia | 1989 |
| Japan Japan | 1989 |
| The Republic of Korea The Republic of Korea | 1989 |
| Malaysia Malaysia | 1989 |
| New Zealand New Zealand | 1989 |
| Philippines Philippines | 1989 |
| Singapore Singapore | 1989 |
| Thailand Thailand | 1989 |
| USA USA | 1989 |
| Chinese Taipei | 1991 |
| Hong Kong Hong Kong, China | 1991 |
| China China | 1991 |
| Mexico Mexico | 1993 |
| Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea | 1993 |
| Chile Chile | 1994 |
| Peru Peru | 1998 |
| Russia Russia | 1998 |
| Vietnam Vietnam | 1998 |
History of APEC
APEC was formed as a free consultative forum without any rigid organizational structure or large bureaucracy. APEC does not have a charter, therefore, from a legal point of view, it cannot be called an organization and acts as an international advisory body. The APEC Secretariat, located in Singapore, includes only 23 diplomats representing APEC member countries, as well as 20 local salaried staff.
Initially, APEC's highest body was the annual ministerial meeting. Since 1993, the main form of APEC organizational activity has been the annual summits (informal meetings) of APEC economic leaders, during which declarations are adopted summarizing the overall results of the Forum’s activities for the year and determining the prospects for future activities. Sessions of the ministers of foreign affairs and economics are held with great frequency.
The main working bodies of APEC: Business Advisory Council, three expert committees (committee on trade and investment, economic committee, administrative and budgetary committee) and 11 working groups in various sectors of the economy. The APEC Chairman, elected at the forum's conferences, changes annually on a rotational basis. Its functions are carried out by the country in which the next summit will be held. Administrative and technical functions are performed by the secretariat created in 1992.
Since 2001, the agenda of the summits has included the topic of combating international terrorism, primarily through economic and financial means. Recently, more and more attention has been paid to other aspects of security, including in the areas of trade, finance, energy, healthcare and transport, united under the general term “personal security”.
The current macroeconomic situation is conducive to the development of export sectors of the Russian economy. We have already discussed with one of our experts, academician Andrei Spartak, the prospects for the markets of the Asia-Pacific region for our country. Russia has been a member of APEC, an international organization that unites the leading countries of the Asia-Pacific region, for almost 20 years. Is this tool used to promote Russian exports and what are the prospects for this cooperation - in an interview with Tatyana Flegontova, Director of the APEC Russian Research Center.
What is Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and what is its role in the global economic system?
The APEC Forum was created in 1989 on the initiative of Australian Prime Minister Hawke. Russia joined APEC in 1998 and held its first and so far only chairmanship in 2012. Today APEC plays a fairly serious role in the global economic system. At the end of last year, 64% of world GDP was accounted for by the joint GDP of APEC economies, and the share of APEC economies in global trade turnover was 48%.
GDP and share of Asia-Pacific countries in the global economy in 2000-2017. Source:What are the key features of APEC compared to other international organizations?
Firstly, it is a club-type organization. Decisions made in APEC are not binding, but nevertheless, it is important to note that they are made by consensus. The high probability of compliance with the agreements of the economies is associated with the annual reporting on the achievements of the APEC economies and the image component. The results of countries' work at the technical level are discussed at summits at the end of the year.
Source: RIA Novosti
Secondly, APEC is one of the few platforms where open dialogue takes place between developed and developing countries. There are several key groups of economies or blocks that participate in APEC activities. This is the Anglo-Saxon bloc (Australia, USA, New Zealand, Canada) plus Japan, the leading Asian players are Japan, China, Russia and Korea. One can also identify a group of Asian tigers - in addition to Korea, this includes Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, ASEAN member states and the South American economies of Mexico, Peru and Chile. Papua New Guinea stands apart, but its activities in APEC have intensified in recent years. Next year all events will be held under the auspices of Papua New Guinea and on the territory of this country.
Source: APEC Russian Research Center
Often people talk about APEC only in terms of holding summits. Are there any other events taking place at the APEC site?
APEC is a structure that operates throughout the year with three key clusters of working group meetings that culminate in meetings of senior officials. A number of other meetings at various levels are being held. They are more technical in nature, but this is where most of the work of APEC economies takes place. In addition, the Business Advisory Council is active and annual meetings of business representatives from APEC economies are held.
Why is cooperation interesting for national economies?
The APEC platform may be interesting from the point of view of promoting the interests of national companies in the region. Firstly, within the framework of APEC, a large number of seminars and dialogues, studies and surveys are held among both representatives of the power structures of economies and business representatives. Databases and information resources are being formed that make it easier to obtain information about the regulation of APEC economies, how business operates in APEC economies, how to integrate into international trade, international economic cooperation for businesses from APEC economies.
Secondly, APEC is often a platform for testing certain decisions, and if successful, APEC advisory decisions are subsequently transferred to other sites, for example, the WTO, and there they become binding. One can note a fairly serious level of interaction between the APEC forum and the G20, the OECD, and a number of other forums and organizations.
Thirdly, some of the most discussed regional integration initiatives were formed in the Asia-Pacific region or with the participation of APEC economies. These are the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and the Pacific Alliance. Despite the fact that in the last six months there has been a slight slowdown in these processes, the Asia-Pacific region nevertheless remains key in terms of the development of regional trade and economic integration. Therefore, when forming and developing our initiatives, including the EAEU, the Greater Eurasia project, the project to connect the EAEU with the Chinese Silk Road initiative, we need to take into account the ongoing integration processes in the Asia-Pacific region and become involved in them.
Source: APEC Russian Research Center
What can business gain from participating in APEC?
The first - this is probably the simplest option - is to find partners and exchange experiences. APEC is actively working towards the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, including holding a lot of forums and various kinds of exhibitions and fairs. Here you can show yourself and look at people. For example, conduct campaigns to exchange best practices with business representatives from similar industries.
The second is reducing costs when entering foreign markets. Although APEC recommendations are not binding, nevertheless, long-term work leads to the harmonization of a number of standards and to the reduction of tariff and non-tariff restrictions. And if a business has long-term goals of entering and consolidating its own interests in a particular market in the Asia-Pacific region, then it should participate in the work of APEC.
The third is promoting your own developments. At APEC platforms, issues of trade in individual goods, issues of technological cooperation, the formation of common new or harmonization of existing standards are discussed. The latter is especially important for innovative, high-tech goods, including digital goods, for many of which generally accepted technical standards have not yet been formed.
Source: APEC Russian Research Center
How active is Russia in APEC?
The main peak of Russia's activity in APEC occurred in 2012, when Russia chaired it. The priorities of the year and key initiatives were formed precisely thanks to Russian proposals.
What priorities and initiatives are we talking about?
The first priority is trade liberalization. In particular, a list of environmental goods was formed, on which by the end of last year the economies had agreed, and, by the way, had already reduced tariff restrictions to the level of 5% and below. Another priority was the formation of reliable supply chains. As part of this initiative, much attention was paid to the development of the Far East. The next priority placed significant emphasis on promoting food security. And finally, this is innovative growth, innovative development.
Are these initiatives developing today?
As sad as it may be, Russia's interest in working in APEC has become much less today. However, to date, work on all started tracks continues - the initiatives that Russia puts forward today often originate precisely from the 2012 chairmanship.
The second set of issues is the development of human capital. Here I would like to note the work that is being done in the field of cooperation in higher education. For example, a conference on higher education is held annually in Vladivostok. This year it will be devoted to the issue of recognition of diplomas and qualifications in the APEC region. Work is also underway to ensure a culture of prevention in occupational safety. At the All-Russian Occupational Safety and Health Week, a trial APEC conference on this topic was held this year, and next year it is planned to hold a high-level event, that is, at the level of ministers and deputy ministers. APEC's work to support innovative, competitive SMEs and encourage their inclusion in international trade is of great importance. The main area of work is the formation of an information database (APEC MarketPlace), which provides complete information to small and medium-sized enterprises necessary to enter the markets of APEC economies. Russia is actively participating in this, offering its directions and its developments.
The third block of issues that Russia is actively promoting in APEC is carrying out structural reforms and ensuring innovative growth. This year, Russia put forward several initiatives and projects that were successfully adopted and supported by APEC economies.
Data from a VTsIOM survey prepared for the APEC summit. Source: VTsIOM
What are these initiatives?
Firstly, initiatives to develop innovation clusters and technology markets of the future. They are being developed jointly with the National Research University Higher School of Economics, and it is planned to connect ASI and RVC. We also actively attract businesses to these areas.
Secondly, a comprehensive initiative for the development of remote regions of APEC economies. This is related to the task of promoting the interests of the Russian Far East, however, the initiative was supported by China, Indonesia, and a number of other countries that have their own interesting ideas for the development of remote regions. Already in August of this year, a corresponding conference at the level of senior officials on this issue will be held. Based on the results of this work, it is planned to formulate a comprehensive APEC strategic plan on this issue.
Recently, there have been major changes in the global economy and trade, including those related to the development of new technologies. Do they somehow affect discussions in APEC? Are there any new issues that have not been discussed before?
Yes, of course, discussions change. If previously the key issue was regional economic integration and the traditional reduction of tariff barriers, now the key issues are, firstly, innovative development, and here Russia, as I have already said, is promoting a number of interesting initiatives and projects. Secondly, this is the development of the digital economy, which is also fundamentally important for Russia. This year it is planned to formulate a common APEC road map for the development of the digital economy.
Can you tell us more about the ideas that go into such a map?
To begin with, we are talking about the development of physical infrastructure, that is, ensuring universal access to the Internet. Here we are talking not only about the availability of broadband Internet throughout the APEC economies, but also about its accessibility.
The second set of issues is ensuring the creation of a regulatory framework that must be formed for the development of the digital economy. To date, none of the APEC economies has comprehensive legislation in this area. There are separate laws that relate to personal data, digital signatures, electronic document management, and other issues.
The third set of questions concerns ensuring the security of the Internet system and the digital economy as a whole. This is one of the key areas, because “big data” is a stimulus for growth, a kind of currency of the modern economy, and it is necessary to ensure proper protection of this data at different levels. The role of the state in this case is of fundamental importance.
The fourth block is the formation of an inclusive digital economy. Here again the question arises of remote regions, small and medium-sized enterprises, and ensuring access to digital technologies for people with disabilities.
It is also important to note the need to support the development of appropriate technologies.
A separate issue is the formation of tools for statistical assessment of the digital economy.
What about e-commerce?
E-commerce is a separate area of APEC work. Vietnam is chairing APEC this year, and on its initiative, a framework agreement is being developed to develop e-commerce in APEC economies.
42. Ates: goals and directions of activity. Organizational structure.
APEC goals and objectives
Its main long-term goal is to deepen intraregional economic relations by eliminating obstacles in trade, investment and technological interaction.
The goals of the Asia-Pacific Forum for Economic Cooperation were officially defined in 1991 in the Seoul Declaration:
1) Maintaining economic growth of the countries of the region;
2) Strengthening mutual trade;
3) Ensuring a free and open trade regime in accordance with GATT/WTO standards and strengthening regional cooperation.
Activities in APEC are aimed at discussing and searching for agreed solutions in the following areas:
1. Achieving benefits from globalization and the new economy. Work is underway to expand economic and technological cooperation by adopting individual action plans in this area
2. Promote trade and investment liberalization. The use of trade facilitation methods to improve trade efficiency is expanding,
3. Maintaining sustainable economic growth. It is planned to expand cooperation in the financial sector,
APEC structure
The Seoul Declaration established the commitment of participating countries to achieve free trade and regional economic cooperation based on the principle of open regionalism. APEC's activities are also based on the principle of consensus in decision-making, non-discrimination, mutual respect and equality, compliance with WTO standards and “network” cooperation (taking into account the capabilities of each participating country).
The APEC structure is decentralized.
Each country holds the APEC Presidency for a year, and its leader chairs the Forum and chairs meetings of leaders, ministers, senior officials, and APEC groups on tourism, SMEs, customs, standards and compliance. In other APEC working groups, the chairman is elected based on the principle of consensus.
At the meetings of the heads of APEC member states (Economic Leader's Meeting), the most important political decisions are made. The first meeting of the heads of APEC member states took place in 1993 in Seattle (USA). The tenth meeting of the leaders of APEC member countries took place in Los Cabos ( Mexico) October 26-27, 2002
The areas of APEC activity are determined at the annual meetings of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Economics (Ministerial Meeting).
Meetings of ministers (Sectoral Ministerial Meetings) of the sectors: education, energy, labor, science and technology, communications, transport, finance, trade, small and medium-sized enterprises, ecology, etc. are held separately.
Before the next meeting of ministers, meetings of senior officials (Senior Officials Meeting - SOM) are regularly held. Senior officials prepare recommendations for decisions taken at ministerial level. They monitor and coordinate the budget and work programs for the APEC forum.
The leading role in ensuring interaction between government agencies and the business community is played by the APEC Business Advisory Council, which was created in accordance with the decision of the Osaka Summit in November 1995. Members of the ABAC are appointed directly by the heads of state and government from among the most authoritative and competent representatives of the business community. From each country, the council includes up to three people, often one seat is reserved for managers of small and medium-sized businesses. ABAC members meet three to four times a year and develop recommendations on how to improve the business and investment climate in the region. Recommendations are presented by APEC heads of state and government at their annual summits in the form of a report. The recommendations of the ABAC, approved by the heads of state and government, subsequently become a “guide to action” for APEC as a whole. The ABAC Action Plan Monitoring Committee oversees the implementation of the Forum members' Individual Action Plans (IAPs), which serve as the main instrument of trade and investment liberalization. CMPD monitors the implementation of IPD in electronic format and studies ways to improve them.
Administrative and technical functions are performed by the Secretariat (APEC Secretariat), created in 1993, with headquarters in Singapore. The terms of reference performed by the Secretariat are defined in an official statement approved by APEC member states. Based on this document, the Secretariat is the main working body of APEC. The management of the Secretariat is carried out by the Executive Director in strict accordance with the priority areas of activity established at a meeting of senior officials (acting on behalf of ministers).
The content of the article
ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION FORUM (APEC)(Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum) is an international economic organization created to develop integration ties between the countries of the Pacific Ocean. Currently, it unites the economies of 21 countries of very different levels of development (Australia, Brunei, Vietnam, Hong Kong (special administrative region of the People's Republic of China), Canada, People's Republic of China (PRC), Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru , Russia, Singapore, USA, Thailand, Taiwan, Chile, Philippines, South Korea, Japan).
History of APEC.
Founded in Canberra (Australia) on the initiative of the Prime Minister of Australia B. Hawke in 1989. Initially it included 12 countries - 6 developed countries of the Pacific Ocean (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, USA, South Korea, Japan) and 6 developing countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines). By 1997, APEC already included almost all the main countries of the Pacific region: Hong Kong (1993), China (1993), Mexico (1994), Papua New Guinea (1994), Taiwan (1993), Chile (1995) became new members. In 1998, simultaneously with the admission of three new members to APEC - Russia, Vietnam and Peru - a 10-year moratorium was introduced on further expansion of the Forum's membership. India and Mongolia have applied to join APEC.
The creation of APEC was preceded by the long development in the 1960–1980s in the Asia-Pacific region of more local economic unions - ASEAN, the Pacific Economic Council, the Conference on Pacific Economic Cooperation, the South Pacific Forum, etc. Back in 1965, Japanese economist K. Kojima proposed creating a Pacific free trade area with the participation of industrialized countries in the region. The process of interaction intensified in the 1980s, when the countries of the Far East began to demonstrate high and stable economic growth.
The goals of the Forum were officially defined in 1991 in the Seoul Declaration. This:
– maintaining the economic growth of the countries of the region;
– strengthening mutual trade;
– elimination of restrictions on the movement of goods, services and capital between countries in accordance with GATT/WTO standards ( cm. WTO).
In the mid-2000s, APEC member countries accounted for more than 1/3 of the world's population, produced about 60% of global GDP, and accounted for about 50% of global trade. This organization has become one of the three (along with the EU and NAFTA) most influential integration blocs in the modern world economy ( cm. ECONOMIC INTEGRATION).
Although APEC is the youngest of the "three" major economic integration blocs, it has already become an important means of promoting trade and economic cooperation in the region. The APEC economic zone is the most dynamically developing on a planetary scale; it is predicted to play the role of the main leader of the world economy of the 21st century.
Features of APEC as a regional integration bloc.
APEC includes countries with very different levels of economic development (Table 1). For example, the per capita indicators of the United States and Papua New Guinea differ by three orders of magnitude.
| Table 1. CHARACTERISTICS OF APEC MEMBER COUNTRIES in 2000 | ||||
| Countries | Territory (thousand sq. km) | Population (million people) | GDP (billion dollars) | GDP per capita (thousand dollars) |
| Australia | 7,682 | 18,5 | 395 | 20,8 |
| Brunei | 5,8 | 0,3 | 4 | 13,6 |
| Vietnam | 331 | 77,6 | 29 | 0,4 |
| Hong Kong | 1,1 | 6,7 | 159 | 23,2 |
| Indonesia | 1,904 | 206,3 | 141 | 0,7 |
| Canada | 9,971 | 30,6 | 645 | 21,1 |
| China | 9,561 | 1,255,7 | 991 | 0,8 |
| Malaysia | 33 | 21,4 | 79 | 3,5 |
| Mexico | 1.973 | 95,8 | 484 | 5,0 |
| New Zealand | 271 | 3,8 | 54 | 14,3 |
| Papua New Guinea | 463 | 4,6 | 4 | 0,8 |
| Peru | 1,285 | 24,8 | 57 | 2,3 |
| South Korea | 99 | 46,1 | 407 | 8,7 |
| Russia | 17,075 | 147,4 | 185 | 1,3 |
| Singapore | 0,6 | 3,5 | 85 | 21,8 |
| USA | 9,373 | 274 | 9,299 | 34,1 |
| Taiwan | 36 | 21,9 | 289 | 13,1 |
| Thailand | 513 | 60,3 | 24 | 2,0 |
| Philippines | 300 | 72,9 | 77 | 1,0 |
| Chile | 757 | 14,8 | 67 | 4,5 |
| Japan | 378 | 126,3 | 4,349 | 34,4 |
| Total | 62,012,5 | 2,513,73 | 17,924 | |
| Share in global indicators, % | 41,6 | 40,0 | 60,0 | |
| . M., MGIMO, ROSSPEN, 2002 | ||||
For interaction between the very diverse APEC member countries, mechanisms have been developed that are much less formalized than the rules of the EU and NAFTA.
1) Cooperation is only in the economic sphere.
From the very beginning, APEC viewed itself not as a politically cohesive grouping of countries, but as a loose “collection of economies.” The term "economics" emphasizes that this organization discusses economic rather than political issues. The fact is that the PRC did not recognize the independent statehood of Hong Kong and Taiwan, so they were officially considered not countries, but territories (Taiwan still has this status in the mid-2000s).
2) Almost complete absence of a special administrative apparatus.
APEC was formed as a free consultative forum without any rigid organizational structure or large bureaucracy. The APEC Secretariat, located in Singapore, consists of only 23 diplomats representing APEC member countries, as well as 20 local employees. The main form of organizational activity of the Forum since 1993 is the annual summits (informal meetings) of the leaders of APEC countries, during which declarations are adopted summing up the overall results of the Forum’s activities for the year and determining the prospects for further activities. Meetings of the ministers of foreign affairs and foreign trade of the participating countries take place more often. The main working bodies of APEC are the Business Advisory Council, three expert committees (committee on trade and investment, economic committee, administrative and budgetary committee) and 11 working groups in various sectors of the economy.
3) Refusal of coercion, primacy of voluntariness.
APEC is not an organization with enforcement powers in conflict resolution (like, for example, the WTO). In contrast, APEC operates only on the basis of consultation and consensus. The main driving incentive is the positive examples of “neighbors” and the desire to follow them. APEC countries officially demonstrate their commitment to the principle of open regionalism, which is usually interpreted as freedom for APEC members to choose specific mechanisms for trade liberalization.
4) Priority attention to information exchange.
The main element of the interaction between APEC member countries is the open exchange of information. We can say that the immediate goal of this economic unification is not so much a single economic space as a single information space. There is an exchange, first of all, of information about business projects of the participating countries. The growth of information openness makes it possible for businessmen from each country to engage in business activities throughout APEC.
5) Refusal of rigid planning for the future evolution of the Forum.
At APEC conferences, the issue of creating the Asia-Pacific Economic Community, APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Community) as a free trade and investment zone was repeatedly raised. However, the enormous heterogeneity of the participating countries prevents the implementation of these plans. Therefore, even in the mid-2000s, APEC was more of a discussion forum with some features of an integration association than such an association in the full sense of the word. The course towards the creation of ARES is fixed in a number of official documents (for example, in the Bogor Declaration of 1994 and in the Manila Program of Action of 1996), but entry into ARES is planned only by 2010 for industrially developed participating countries and by 2020 for developing countries. The implementation of this plan is by no means indisputable: in 1995, at the Osaka APEC summit, the start date for the formation of a free trade zone was already announced (January 1, 1997), but this decision was not implemented.
APEC members believe that economic integration requires the active involvement of business in the organization's activities. In 1995, APEC leaders decided to formalize relations with the business community and created the APEC Business Advisory Council. It has become one of the key working bodies through which the Forum interacts with the APEC business community.
Each participating country appoints up to three of its representatives to the ABAC, expressing the interests of various circles of national business. Most APEC countries reserve one of their BAC seats for representatives of small or medium-sized businesses, since such enterprises play a key role in all APEC countries.
At the annual APEC summits, the ABAC presents a report to the economic leaders of the Forum with generalized recommendations from competent representatives of the private sector on the implementation of APEC policy documents. These recommendations are developed by members of the ABAC with the assistance of experts from government agencies.
The main recommendations are related to simplifying visa formalities for businessmen of APEC economies and reducing barriers to goods and investment. In accordance with the recommendations of the ABAC, the official APEC website contains information on the problems of business development in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC) - the investment and financial situation in APEC countries, tariffs, etc. Thus, we can talk about the creation within APEC of a mechanism for constant intensive exchange of information between the participants of the Forum on business issues.
Recognizing the particularly important role of small and medium-sized enterprises in all national economies, in February 2001 the Forum participants decided to create a special ABAC group on small and medium-sized businesses. Its areas of activity include: working to improve access of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to financial resources, information and communication technologies; strengthening interaction between SMEs and government officials.
The ABAC Task Force on Finance is engaged in the implementation of financial standards acceptable to the international community and strengthening the international financial system. She also studies the development of domestic capital markets in the Asia-Pacific region.
The ABAC Technology Task Force is working to stimulate e-commerce by developing activities to reduce the digital divide between APEC economies.
Practical results of APEC activities.
Although APEC activities are developed on the basis of predominantly informal mechanisms, they are developing in breadth and depth.
APEC began with a modest program of negotiations on the development of mutual trade. At the Osaka Summit, APEC countries identified more than a dozen priority areas of activity:
trade tariffs;
non-tariff measures to regulate mutual trade;
international services;
international investments;
standardization of goods and services;
customs procedures;
intellectual property rights;
competition policy;
distribution of government orders;
rules regarding the origin of goods;
mediation in disputes;
mobility of businessmen;
implementation of the results of the Uruguay round of trade negotiations within the WTO;
collection and analysis of information.
The most important area is activities aimed at stimulating mutual trade and foreign investment.
Already in the first decade, APEC countries have managed to achieve a strong reduction in customs taxes, although their differentiation continues to persist (Table 2). At the same time, other non-tariff protectionist barriers are being reduced (quantitative restrictions on exports and imports, difficulties in import and export licensing, export subsidies, etc.). As a result, for example, the annual growth rate of exports of APEC countries was 4.7% in 1995–2000, while in other countries of the world it was only 3.0%.
| Table 2. AVERAGE CUSTOMS DUTIES RATES IN SOME APEC COUNTRIES | ||
| Countries | 1988 | 1996 |
| Australia | 15,6 | 6,1 |
| Indonesia | 20,3 | 13,1 |
| Canada | 9,1 | 6,7 |
| China | 40,3 | 23,0 |
| Mexico | 10,6 | 12,5 |
| South Korea | 19,2 | 7,9 |
| Singapore | 0,4 | 0 |
| USA | 6,6 | 6,4 |
| Thailand | 40,8 | 17,0 |
| Taiwan | 12,6 | 8,6 |
| Japan | 7,2 | 7,9 |
| On average in APEC | 15,4 | 9,1 |
| Compiled by: Kostyunina G.M. Asia-Pacific Economic Integration. M., MGIMO, ROSSPEN, 2002 | ||
In an effort to create a free investment zone, APEC countries are taking measures to stimulate the movement of capital between the countries of the region: reducing the number of industries closed to foreign direct investment, simplifying the visa regime for entrepreneurs, and providing wide access to economic information. Since there is no mandatory principle in APEC documents, different member countries implement these measures with varying intensity. However, in the APEC countries as a whole, in the 1990s alone, the volume of attracted foreign direct investment increased 3 times.
Although APEC countries were hit hard by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the region is experiencing record economic growth. Thus, during 1989–1999, the total GNP of the member countries grew by 1/3 - by 26% in developed countries and by 83% in developing countries of the region. This is significantly higher than global indicators (24% for developed and 11% for developing countries).
Russia's participation in APEC.
Russia is interested in developing relations with APEC, since they account for about 20% of Russian foreign trade and about 25% of accumulated foreign investment in the Russian Federation. Therefore, already in March 1995, by order of the President of the Russian Federation, an application to join the Forum was submitted, and in 1998, at the Vancouver Summit, Russia was admitted to APEC as a full member.
In November 1998, on the initiative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the APEC Business Club was formed - an informal association of representatives of Russian business circles focused in their activities on the Asia-Pacific region. It includes more than 50 large Russian firms and banks.
The first important event in Russia within the framework of the APEC Forum was the ABAC meeting held in Moscow in May 2001, in which about 100 representatives of the business elite of APEC countries took part.
Unfortunately, even in the mid-2000s, the ties of most APEC member countries with Russia are quite weak; they lack information about our country and its business circles. Experts believe that one of the main reasons for this negative situation is the insufficient activity of Russian representatives in the APEC ABAC and their weak relationship with Russian government departments and business circles.
A step towards enhancing the participation of the Russian Federation in APEC was the development of a state concept for Russia’s participation in the Forum, which was outlined by the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin during the next APEC summit in Bangkok in October 2003. In his speech, he stated that “Russia’s course towards the further development of comprehensive cooperation with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region is our conscious choice. It was made due to the increasing interdependence of the world... and due to the fact that this region has become one of the most dynamically developing today.” At the 13th APEC summit in Puson in November 2005, it was proposed that a priority area of economic cooperation between Russia and APEC countries should be joint work in the energy sector, and in the political sphere, the fight against terrorism.
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