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IS OUR BELIEF THAT OVER TIME, APEC WILL EVOLVE INTO A
NEW MULTILATERAL MECHANISM REINFORCING THE SENSE OF COLLECTIVE
PURPOSE AMONG THE MARKET-ORIENTED ECONOMIES OF EAST ASIA AND
THE PACIFIC. AND AS WE HAVE SEEN SO DRAMATICALLY IN THE
POLITICAL REVOLUTIONS OF THE 1980S, ECONOMIC OPENNESS IS
DIFFICULT TO SUSTAIN WITHOUT CORRESPONDING POLITICAL OPENNESS
AND VICE-VERSA. THUS, WE HOPE THAT APEC WILL ENCOURAGE
REFORM IN THOSE COUNTRIES MOVING IN THE DIRECTION OF
MARKET-ORIENTED POLICIES. AT PRESENT, APEC IS CONSIDERING THE
INCLUSION OF CHINA, HONG KONG AND TAIWAN A GOAL THE U.S.
STRONGLY ENDORSES.
APEC WAS FORMED JUST A YEAR AGO, AMIDST SOME EARLY DOUBTS
AND CONCERNS IN THE REGION ABOUT ITS RATIONALE OR VIABILITY.
TODAY ITS WORKING GROUPS ARE OFF TO AN ENERGETIC START,
DEMONSTRATING IN PRACTICAL TERMS WHY THE ECONOMIES OF THE
PACIFIC BASIN SHARE A COMMON FUTURE. APEC CAN BUILD SHARED
BENEFITS THROUGH ECONOMIC EXPANSION.
AND BY EMPHASIZING
ECONOMIC PROGRESS RATHER THAN DEFENSE ISSUES AS THE BASIS FOR
REGIONAL INTEGRATION, WE CAN PROVIDE A MORE BROADLY ACCEPTABLE
FRAMEWORK FOR ASSURING SECURITY IN THE ASIA/PACIFIC REGION IN
THE POST-COLD WAR ERA.
CONCLUSION
IN CONCLUSION, THE 1990S PROMISES TO BE ONE OF THOSE RARE
"OPEN" PERIODS IN HISTORY; AND THE UNITED STATES AND ITS ALLIES
AND TRADING PARTNERS HAE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHAPE INSTITUTIONS
AND PATTERNS OF COOPERATION IN PURSUIT OF SHARED VALUES, SHARED
}