Government Affairs
Canada hosts first meeting of APEG ministers responsibie for the environment Canada hosted the first meeting of minis ters responsible for the environment in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) forum. The meeting was held in Vancou
tant trading region (after the United States). In 1993, 12 of Canada's top 25 markets were APEC economies. Two-way trade with APEC economies, (excluding the U.S.) in
the past decade, Japan moved from being the eighth-largest foreign investor in Canada to third largest, behind the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Japanese direct invest
ver, on March 24 - 25, 1994.
1993 was worth $41.7 billion, compared
ment in Canada has doubled since 1985 to
With a population nearing 2 billion and an aggregate gross national income twice that of the European Community, the AsiaPacific region is of growing importance to Canada and to the global economy. Asia has become Canada's second most impor
with our $25 billion in trade with the Euro
$5.7 billion, while portfolio investments, mainly in federal and provincial government bonds, are substantial. Other Asian econo mies, such as Hong Kong, Australia, Sin gapore and South Korea, have also become major foreign investors in Canada. Led by growth rates between 6-9% among what are referred to as the Dynamic Asian Economies(DAEs)— Korea,Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Ma laysia — the rate of economic expansion in the APEC economies is exceeding the glo bal average by a large margin. Since its founding in 1989, APEC has become the principal inter-govemmental ve hicle for cooperation in the Asia-Pacific re
pean Community. Background The Asia-Pacific region is also becom ing a vital source of foreign direct invest ment and new technology for Canada. Over
PROBLEM?
DIM-naN" SOLUTIONS ...
gion. Its emergence was the result of care
MDectron
ful community-building efforts of govern ments, business and academics over the pre vious two decades. It is evolving into a key PUMPING
agenda-setting body for the region, helping
STATIONS
to define priorities for member countries. APEC has been essentially a ministerial process, with annual meetings offoreign and trade ministers and periodic meetings of
WATER TREATMENT
k
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senior officials. Canada is scheduled to host
PLANTS
the ninth ministerial meeting in 1997.
INDOOR AIR
bers include the United States, Japan, Ko rea, Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong
In addition to Canada, APEC's 17 mem
-•:;v " QUALITY (I.A.Q.)
Kong, Mexico, Taiwan, Thailand, Singa pore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei and Papua New Guinea. It is the first and only existing international organi
STRUCTURAL PRESERVATION
zation in which China, Hong Kong and Tai DEHUMIDIFIGATION
wan are all represented at the ministerial level. Chile will join in November 1994, at the Indonesian Ministerial.
Membership in APEC allows Canada to participate in developments in the Asia-Pa cific region and to benefit from its extraor dinary economic opportunities. An equally important objective is to increase awareness, making Canadians more informed about opportunities in the region, and prompting citizens of other countries to consider
Canada when making decisions about eve
rything from business to tourism. APEC serves as an important counter
weight to competing proposals from within
1-800-667-6368
the Pacific Rim for more restrictive regional
groupings, such as the proposal for an East Asian Economic Caucus. Participation in
USA: 217 South Union Street, Burlington, VT 05401 Canada:
APEC complements work in other regional
4300 Poirier Blvd. Montreal, Quebec H4R 205
Tel.: (514)334-9609
and international bodies such as the OECD,
Fax: (514) 334-9184
GATT and the G-7,and will become increas
ingly important as the Asia-Pacific region itself takes on greater weight in global af
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fairs.
Environmental Science & Engineering, April 1994