DIRK BEVERIDGE / AP 14nov00
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei -- After Pacific Rim nations agreed to push for new global trade talks, officials reverted Tuesday to squabbling over the same issues -- the environment and labor standards -- that wrecked the last effort to launch WTO negotiations.
Thailand's deputy prime minister, Supachai Panitchpakdi, insisted fresh talks at the World Trade Organization must steer clear of environmental and workers' rights issues, which the Third World says would destroy its ability to exploit key economic advantages: natural resources and cheap labor.
U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky countered that the next U.S. Congress would be unlikely to act on any trade deal that excludes the issues held dear by labor unions and environmentalists, who contend developing nations are competing unfairly when they pollute the environment and treat workers badly to produce goods at low cost.
But poorer countries, led by Malaysia, have held firm against letting wealthy countries dictate the strategy for proceeding with a new trade deal. Supachai, who will become leader of the Geneva-based WTO in 2002, recommended contentious topics be left off the table.
``For the really controversial issues of non-trade items, like environment and labor, I would suggest we go around them very cautiously. I don't think we should have them in the negotiations,'' Supachai said Tuesday, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
APEC can do no more than urge WTO talks to proceed after its heads of state meet Wednesday and Thursday. The United States, Japan and Australia sought a 2001 deadline for starting new talks, but they were unable to overcome resistance from Malaysia, which demanded to see an agenda first.
The United States disputed contentions Tuesday that it had conceded a round in the battle for freer global trade.
Barshefsky stuck by her prediction the 139 members of the WTO can launch a new round of global trade negotiations by next year -- even though poor nations succeeded Monday in insisting that an agenda should be set before talks begin.
But Barshefsky tried to play down any differences.
``Once we have the agenda, we have the launch,'' Barshefsky told reporters. ``That is the same thing.''
APEC leaders including President Clinton arrived throughout the day Tuesday, with a few more due Wednesday for the annual summit. They will have the final say on APEC's position on free-trade issues.
Restarting trade talks has been a U.S. priority since last year's disastrous WTO meeting in Seattle, which ended with rich and poor nations divided and anti-globalization riots outside the conference hall.
APEC leaders are worried about issues such as the high price of oil, which threatens to slow economic growth in the majority of the group's economies that are net importers of energy.
Separately, Chinese Trade Minister Shi Guangsheng and Mexican Commerce Minister Herminio Blanco met for 90 minutes Tuesday to try to resolve issues preventing China from entering the WTO.
Blanco said the nations remained at odds over dumping -- the practice of selling goods in another market too cheaply -- but added that he remained hopeful.
China has been fighting for years to get into the WTO and has reached necessary deals with all other key trading partners, including the United States and the European Union.
APEC members are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.
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