Newsletter from the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC)
- Upcoming: 21st PECC General Meeting (PECC XXI) | Vancouver, Canada | June 3-5, 2013
- SINCPEC-INCPEC Conference, "Asia-Pacific Economic Integration and Connectivity: Pathways for Resilient and Inclusive Growth" | Singapore | February 22-23, 2013
- The Management of Deep Sea Marine Resources and Oceans as a Means of Communication, Auckland, New Zealand | December 4-5, 2012
- FPTPEC: Annual Meeting | Paris, France | March 27, 2013
- CNCPEC: Seminar on TPP 2012, Progress and Challenges | Beijing, China | December 7, 2012
- USAPC: Passing of Amb. Richard M. Fairbanks III | February 6, 2013
- CTPECC: Passing of Dr. Jeffrey Koo | December 6, 2012
- Discussion Forum:
- Why the ASEAN Summit Matters to Canada... (and just where is Brunei anyway?)
- The Pacific Alliance: A Latin American Initiative for Asia-Pacific Regional Integration
- Is Regional Economic Integration Enough? The Search for 'Wave 3' Growth
- The Unintended Consequences of Quantitative Easing on Emerging Markets
UPCOMING EVENTS
21st PECC General Meeting (PECC XXI) | Vancouver, Canada | June 3-5, 2013
The 21st General Meeting of PECC (PECC XXI) will be hosted by CANCPEC (Canada committee) and take place in Vancouver on June 3-5, 2013. It is held in conjunction with Canada-Asia 2013 and organized by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.
The opening plenary session, 'Key Trends Shaping the Asia-Pacific" will examine the latest economic, political, and social trends in the Asia-Pacific, identifying the emerging opportunities and uncertainties in the region. Will slower economic growth be the norm in Asia over the next few years and how will this affect both the regional and global economy? What will be the impact of a rapidly growing urban population—particularly one with an increasing middle class with evolving needs and expectations? Given the two on-going regional trade negotiations, what will be the future of trade in the Asia Pacific?
The opening plenary session will be followed by concurrent breakout sessions which will cover diverse topics including: infrastructure deficit in the Asia-Pacific, creativity and innovation in Asia, promoting inclusive growth and resilient societies in Asia, green growth, and risks to growth in the Asia-Pacific.
On the next day, plenary sessions will cover Canada's Asia strategy and how economies are responding to the rise of Asia. Thereafter, breakout sessions will address Canada's contribution to sustainable growth in the Asia-Pacific, and preparation of Canada's next generation to compete in an international environment increasingly influenced by developments in Asia.
PECC General Meetings are open to the wider public and attended also by youth delegates who have been selected by their respective PECC member committees.
Download tentative program for General Meeting (PECC XXI)
PAST EVENTS
APEC Needs to Move Beyond Bogor Goals
PECC-INCPEC-INCPEC Conference, "Asia-Pacific Economic Integration and Connectivity: Pathways for Resilient and Inclusive Growth" | Singapore | February 22-23, 2013
 The Asia-Pacific region continues to face an uncertain economic environment with major economies undertaking stimulus measures to bolster growth. This environment points to an urgent need for the region to find new engines for growth. These new engines should make ensure that people benefit from the integration process. “The region has benefitted from the integration process but we need to move beyond this to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth as we transition into the next phase of the region’s development.’” said Mr. Jusuf Wanandi, Co-chair of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC). Mr. Hatta Rajasa, the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs of Indonesia, said in his keynote speech, “The economic crisis is not yet over and there is much that needs to be done to put the global economy on a sustainable growth path and create opportunities for the persistent high level of unemployment in several advanced economies.” Singapore Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr. Lim Hng Kiang emphasized that “Improvements in cross-border flows of capital, goods, and people will make it easier for economies to adapt to changing patterns of comparative advantage, and allow for technology transfers across borders.” More...
Download the program agenda (pdf, 315KB)
Download the press release (pdf, 44KB)
The Management of Deep Sea Marine Resources and Oceans as a Means of Communication | Auckland, New Zealand | December 4-5, 2012
 The concluding seminar of PECC international project on marine resources focused on deep sea mining, marine infrastructure and technology for communication across the sea waters. The seminar took place in Auckland, New Zealand on December 4-5, 2012, led by FPTPEC and hosted by NZPECC and the University of Auckland. It gathered about 20 speakers from related industries and research from New Zealand, France, Japan, the US, New Caledonia and French Polynesia.
 Four key topics were discussed:
1. Identification and exploitation of deep sea mineral and energy resources: identification of the existing resources, looking for new resources (eg. nodules, rare earth metals), the development of clusters and international alliances, technology transfer and innovation through PPPs, the legal framework, and the prevention of environmental risks;
2. Surveillance of oceans: Protecting fishing zones from non-authorized users, monitoring and fight against marine and coastal pollution, the development of an international early warning system to prevent potential environmental disasters;
3. Oceans as a means of communication: Enhancing the competitiveness of small island economies by developing sea transportation; working towards a "hub and spoke" or a "point to point" model to link the economies; and
4. Development of high speed communication by optical fiber in the Pacific Rim to enhance economic and financial relations. More...
MEMBER UPDATES
FPTPEC Annual Meeting | Paris, France | March 27, 2013
FPTPEC held its annual meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Michel Rocard, as the Chair of FPTPEC - position he has held during the last 13 years - opened the meeting with a speech dedicated to the role of the Pacific region in the world economic context. Three main presentations followed: 1) The role and necessity of the French presence in the Pacific, by Michel Rocard; 2) The development of natural resources in the Pacific, a geostrategic approach, by Admiral Aubriot, DCNS group; 3) The major development programmes in the Pacific, by Ambassador Hadelin La Tour du Pin, Permanent Secretary for the Pacific. More...
CNCPEC Seminar on TPP 2012 Progress and Challenges | Beijing, China | December 7, 2012
 The China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation held a seminar in Beijing on the current progress in Trans-pacific Partnership. Speakers from various institutions contributed to the seminar including the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), Institute of Strategic and International Studies of Malaysia (ISIS), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS), and the Temasek Foundation Centre for Trade & Negotiations. For more information, please contact: cncpec@pecc-china.org. More...
USAPC: PECC mourns former PECC International Chair Ambassador Richard M. Fairbanks III
 The members of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council mourn the passing of the Honorable RICHARD M. FAIRBANKS, III . Amb Richard Fairbank was President of the then United States National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation from 1986-1992. As the Convenor of the Ad Hoc Committee studying the PECC Charter he drafted the PECC Charter which was formally adopted at PECC VIII in Singapore on 22 May 1991. Amb Fairbanks was PECC International Chair from 1991-1992. In September 1992 in San Francisco, PECC Ninth General Meeting (PECC IX) issued the statement “The San Francisco Declaration: A Pacific Model for Global Economic Cooperation” on the next strategic stage in the PECC process. More...
CTPECC: Passing of Dr. Jeffrey Koo
 PECC expresses sincere condolences to the family of Dr. Jeffrey L.S. Koo, former chair of CTPECC, who passed away on December 6th. Dr. Koo will be fondly remembered by members of PECC for his dedication to the promotion of cooperation and understanding in the Asia-Pacific.
As a pioneer of the Asia-Pacific cooperation process, Dr. Koo took over the chairmanship of CTPECC in 1994 and presided over the Finance Committee of PECC for many years. In addition to his support for PECC's evolution and expansion, he had been a thoughtful contributor to setting a regional agenda for cooperation. In light of the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997-1998, Dr. Koo had been advocating and promoting the development of capital markets in the region, especially the development of local currency bond markets to enable the region's corporate sector to avoid the double mismatch in currencies and tenure that had proved so damaging during that period. More...
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PECC in the News
CNBC (Squawk Box)
DISCUSSION FORUM
Why the ASEAN Summit Matters to Canada (and just where is Brunei anyway?)
Hugh Stephens
Vice Chair, CANCPEC | Fellow, Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute (CDFAI)
"On April 24-25, 2013 the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will hold its 22nd Leaders' Summit in Brunei Darussalam. ASEAN, comprised of ten nations in the heart of Asia (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) has been around since 1967 but it is only in recent years that it has taken on its role as the linchpin of economic growth and trade in the region." More...
The Pacific Alliance: A Latin American Initiative for Asia-Pacific Regional Integration
Manfred Wilhelmy
Chair, CHILPEC
"The Pacific Alliance (PA) was established in Lima, Peru in April 2011. The founding members were Peru, Mexico, Colombia, and Chile, represented by their Presidents Alan Garcia, Felipe Calderon, Juan Manuel Santos, and Sebastian Pinera, respectively." More...
Is Regional Economic Integration Enough? The Search for 'Wave 3' Growth
Ian Buchanan
Chair, AusPECC
""Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," said philosopher George Santayana. The aim of this paper is to draw lessons from Asia's supposed "growth miracle" by disaggregating when, where - and why - growth occurred to better understand the roles of exogenous factors versus domestic policy choices.." More...
The Unintended Consequences of Quantitative Easing on Emerging Markets
Ruben Calderon
Portfolio Manager, Fidelity Asset Management, Global Asset Allocation
"The economic malaise in the aftermath of the global credit crisis has called for extraordinary monetary policy responses, especially in the form of quntitative easing (QE). While central banks have focused on the unique circumstances of their own nations, the collective magnitude of QE has had unintended consequences beyond the borders of their constituencies." More...
APEC SOM 2, Related Meetings and MRT
APEC Senior Officials' Meeting 2 and related meetings are taking place in Surabaya, Indonesia on April 6th to 19th. It will be followed by the APEC Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT), April 20th-21th.
PECC delegation to MRT will be headed by International Co-Chair, Jusuf Wanandi. |
