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"United We Stand"
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Asian American Business Roundtable (AABR)
Rawlein G. Soberano. Ph.D., President
20224 Thunderhead Way Suite B
Germantown, MD 20874
Phone: (301) 601-9038
Toll Free: 1-866-215-4365 (PIN# 4766)
Fax: (301) 601-9430
Email: aabr89@aol.com
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THE WHITE
HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
________________________________________________________________
For
Immediate Release September 9, 2007
Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2007
"Our challenge is to strengthen the
forces of freedom and prosperity in this region. One of the most important ways
we can do so is through the expansion of trade and investment."
- President George W. Bush, Remarks at
APEC Business Summit, 9/7/07
At The 15th Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Meeting In Sydney, President Bush And The
Other APEC Leaders Took Further Strides Toward Their Shared Goal Of Free And
Open Trade And Investment In The Asia-Pacific By:
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Endorsing a consensus report on ways
and means to realize the vision of a trans-Pacific, region-wide Free Trade
Area of the Asia-Pacific; |
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Agreeing
on three new sets of model measures for free trade agreement (FTA) chapters
to promote high-quality FTAs that expand trade;
and |
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Deciding on an
action plan to reduce trade transaction costs by 5 percent by 2010; and
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Launching a region-wide effort to
streamline patent procedures.
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President Bush And The Other APEC Leaders Secured Renewed Commitment Aimed At
Generating New Momentum On The Doha Round Multilateral Trade Negotiations:
· The Leaders issued a strong Statement insisting on an ambitious, balanced result that delivers substantial market access in agriculture, industrial goods, and services.
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The United States and many APEC
partners are showing resolve to make the tough choices required to create
new trade flows. |
President Bush, Australian Prime Minister John Howard, And The Other APEC
Leaders Forged A New Direction For Global Efforts To Address Climate Change And
Energy Security:
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The "Sydney Declaration on Climate
Change, Energy Security, and Clean Development" calls for substantial yet
realistic goals and practical actions concerning energy intensity,
reforestation, and key technological advancement priorities. |
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APEC Leaders welcomed the United
States-led initiative calling for high-level discussions among the world's
major economies to define a framework for action that could become part of a
new global agreement. The first meeting will take place September 27-28 in
Washington.
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Reflecting His Dedication To APEC And The Region, President Bush Offered, And
The APEC Leaders Accepted, That The United States Host The APEC Meetings In
2011:
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The United States views APEC as the
preeminent regional economic forum. |
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President Bush has participated in
every APEC Leaders’ Meeting since he entered office in 2001.
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Peru
will host in 2008, Singapore in 2009, and Japan in 2010. |
At
APEC, President Bush And Other Leaders Urged Countries That Have Isolated
Themselves In The Region To Correct Their Course:
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The Leaders urged North Korea to
take prompt action to denuclearize, as the crucial first step for it to be
welcomed as a responsible member of the international community.
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The President also expressed deep
concern about the recent actions of the regime in Burma against peaceful
demonstrators and called for the release of these and other political
activists. |
President Bush Took The Lead At APEC In Championing Key Human Security Issues:
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APEC Leaders agreed to region-wide
principles on defending food supplies from terrorism; committed to
strengthening food and product safety standards using scientific risk-based
approaches; agreed to support the timely sharing of influenza specimens and
to promote access to vaccines and other benefits derived from them; and
endorsed guidelines to ensure that economies continue to function in times
of pandemic. |
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APEC has also made progress in areas
such as deterring illegal trafficking of radioactive materials, protection
of transportation and energy infrastructure, and combating the illicit use
of financial systems for terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction (WMD).
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This year, APEC accepted U.S.
transitional membership in the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) scheme,
which offers card holders expedited immigration processing at ABTC member
airports.
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President Bush Also Continued His Commitment To Building Societies For
Sustainable Growth:
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APEC Leaders reinforced their fight
against corruption by creating model Codes of Conduct and complementary
Anti-Corruption Principles for business and government officials.
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APEC Leaders committed to equip the
region’s workforce with 21st Century skills in order to help
workers adapt more quickly to an open and competitive marketplace. |
Background On APEC:
·
APEC was
founded in Australia in 1989, and the United States hosted the first meeting at
the Leaders' level at Blake Island in 1993.
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21 member
economies, representing:
o
60% of U.S.
exports
o
60% of world
GDP
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Almost half of
global trade
o
2.7 billion
consumers
·
Premier
economic forum in the Asia-Pacific, allowing Leaders, Ministers, and Senior
Officials to focus high-level attention on issues of regional and global
importance.
At The 14th Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Meeting In Hanoi, Vietnam, In 2006
President Bush Presented A Vision Of APEC As A Forum To:
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Create opportunities for sustainable
growth through trade liberalization; |
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Prevent threats to sustainable
growth by securing travel, transport, and trade, fighting against terrorism,
and preventing pandemic disease; and |
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Build societies for sustainable
growth by stemming corruption and promoting good governance. |
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