>Subject: Subject: NEWS - Latin Ame

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Subject: >Subject: Subject: NEWS - Latin America, East Asia Build Own  Bridge of

>Date: Wed, 08 Sep 1999 09:07:04 +0700
>To: burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx
>From: owner-burmanet-l@xxxxxxx (by way of BurmaNet Editor
<strider@xxxxxxxxxxx>)
>Subject: Subject: NEWS - Latin America, East Asia Build Own Bridge of
>  Ties
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>Date: Tue, 07 Sep 1999 12:37:26 -0400
>From: Rangoon Post Co-Editor <Rangoonp@xxxxxxx>
>To: burmanews@xxxxxxxxx, "Burma Net-l @igc.apc.org" <burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx>,
>Subject: NEWS - Latin America, East Asia Build Own Bridge of Ties
>
>Development: Latin America, East Asia Build Own Bridge of Ties
>
>SINGAPORE, (Sep. 6) IPS - East Asia has long been used to dealing with
>Europe and North America, but has now moved to plug the "missing link"
>in its overseas ties -- with Latin America. 
>
>The two regions formed the East Asia-Latin America Forum (Ealaf) here
>last week, in a three-day meeting ending Sep 3 that brought together
>senior officials from 27 countries in Latin America, East Asia and the
>Pacific. 
>
>The newest international grouping is the brainchild of Singapore Prime
>Minister Goh Chok Tong, who proposed the idea during a visit to Chile
>last October. 
>
>Chile will host the first ministerial meeting of Ealaf in the first
>quarter of 2001. 
>
>Singapore coined the phrase "missing link" in promoting the formation of
>the new grouping, since East Asia's economic and political ties with
>Latin America are the weakest compared to relations with North America
>and Europe. 
>
>"The missing link is now between Asia and Latin America. 
>
>In a global economy, this gap prevents both regions from mutually
>exploiting their enormous economic potential," Singapore's Foreign
>Minister, S Jayakumar, told the Ealaf meeting here. 
>
>"We have taken the most important first step," observed Christian
>Barros, head of Chile's delegation, at a post-meeting press conference
>here. 
>
>"We have a lot of problems, thousands of miles divide us, we speak a
>different language. 
>
>But, we have the spirit to start the dialogue, Barros said. 
>
>Indeed, for some of the Latin American delegates to the Singapore
>meeting, it was the first time they travelled to Asia. 
>
>East Asia is linked to North America through the Asia-Pacific Economic
>Cooperation (APEC) forum, which has only three Latin American economies
>(Chile, Argentina, Peru) as members. 
>
>It has annual dialogue with Europe through the more recent Asia-Europe
>Meeting (ASEM). 
>
>Though no one would say it publicly, analysts here also believe that if
>Ealaf succeeds, it will not only boost Asia-Latin American ties but help
>to reduce US economic dominance in Asia -- for which many developing
>countries see APEC as a vehicle. 
>
>Trade ties between East Asia and Latin America have much room for
>improvement. 
>
>In 1997, only 2.6 percent of East Asia's exports went to Latin America
>and only 4.3 percent of Latin American exports went to Asia. If Japan is
>excluded, this figure comes down to 1.1 percent. 
>
>Yet Jayakumar says the forum is not only about trade or economics, since
>the two regions need to know each other a lot more. 
>
>"The real barriers are perhaps more profound and psychological," he
>observed. 
>
>"For most of us, including Singapore, contacts have hitherto been only
>sporadic and Latin America is still a vast, largely unexplored, and
>ill-understood continent." 
>
>Pointing out the Asia and Latin America do not have a regular forum,
>Argentina's delegation head Marcelo Avogadro agreed: "There has been a
>psychological distance." "We must take the long-term perspective and
>create networks to get to know each other better and find out how we can
>complement each other," added Chile's Ambassador to Singapore, Carlos
>Aroca. 
>
>Several Asian countries, however, have more interaction with Latin
>American than others. 
>
>In the years before the Asian crisis, Malaysia has been stepping up
>overseas investments and air links with Latin America. 
>
>The Philippines has traditionally had more ties with Latin America,
>given the Hispanic colonial heritage it shares with many Latin American
>nations. 
>
>During the meeting here, officials agreed that any country which
>proposes a project must fund and coordinate it and implementation could
>begin soonest. 
>
>This is designed to remove the usual lengthy lead time of multilaterally
>funded projects. 
>
>"In just two days of conversation, many ideas were proposed and this may
>have taken two to three years in other forums," said Paraguay's
>delegation chief, Miguel Solano Lopez. 
>
>Thailand's delegation leader Dr Somkiati Ariyapruchya agreed, saying
>"the process has been a very speedy one." More than 20 initiatives were
>proposed during the meeting, with Singapore taking the lead by proposing
>three projects including an economic study to boost inter-regional
>trade. 
>
>Singapore will also sponsor two journalists from Latin America to visit
>Singapore for a week each year and has asked other Asian countries to
>join in this project. 
>
>Chile proposed a seminar to be held in Latin America that will expound
>to East Asia the possibilities that exist there. 
>
>China has offered to host a seminar on regional economic cooperation in
>the Western Hemisphere, including the Latin American experience in
>economic cooperation. 
>
>Mexico has offered 15 scholarships for East Asian students to study
>Latin American issues and Spanish at its institutes. 
>
>Argentina offered to compile a database of economic and political data
>on forum members. 
>
>Bilahari Kausikan, head of Singapore's delegation, says understanding
>between the two regions will come gradually. 
>
>"This will take three or four meetings to establish," he warned. 
>
>"We all have a great deal of learning to do of each other. We have just
>started the voyage of discovery." Asked whether the work of Ealaf and
>APEC could overlap, Kausikan said Ealaf is an organization of sovereign
>nations while APEC members are economies, not governments. 
>
>Thus, he argued, Ealaf has a broader focus. 
>
>"APEC has nothing to do with this forum," Barros told IPS. "It's an
>economic and commercial forum. We will take up social, cultural and
>political issues. Political issues are very important to us." 
>
>"We are witnessing the birth of a child," observed Mexico's Ambassador
>to Singapore, Eduardo Ramos Gomez in describing the formation of Ealaf.
>"We don't know whether he will be fat or tall. We cannot have too many
>expectations." 
>
>The countries at last week's the meeting were Argentina, Bolivia,
>Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru,
>Uruguay, Venezuela, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam,
>Philippines, Malaysia, Laos, Indonesia, Burma, Japan, China, South
>Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
>
>
>