APEC-UNITED STATES: Japan ‘Regrets’ Clinton Will Not be Coming

By Suvendrini Kakuchi Reprint | | Print |

Suvendrini Kakuchi

OSAKA, Japan, Nov 16 1995 (IPS) - Officially, Japan “understands” that domestic problems have forced U.S. President Bill Clinton to skip this weekend’s APEC summit, but the Japanese media views the cancellation of his trip as a snub to the hosts.

News reached here early Thursday that Clinton had canceled his trip for the Nov 19-20 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, creating a stir among Japanese reporters who look on the U.S. President’s visit as the highlight of the meeting.

“It is a terrible blow,” explained a reporter for the “Mainichi Shinbun”, Japan’s third largest newspaper. “It is a sign of receding American interest in APEC.”

Washington said that Clinton, who will be replaced by vice- president Al Gore, canceled the trip because of a deepening domestic crisis stemming from a stand-off between the White House and the Republican-led Congress over the U.S. budget that has caused a government shutdown.

The Japanese government reacted cautiously, downplaying the huge disappointment it has caused here. “It is extremely regrettable, but understandable given the domestic constraints faced by Mr Clinton,” said Hiroshi Hashimoto, spokesman for the foreign ministry.

Major Japanese newspapers immediately published “news extras” centred on the cancellation while television stations interrupted regular programming to announce the decision. The majority view was that it was a “blow” to the summit and a snub to Japan.

While Japan is still at loggerheads with the United States over agricultural liberalisation — the key issue on the agenda of the summit — Tokyo still views the United States and Clinton in particular as pivotal to integration of the 18-member APEC grouping.

In Osaka, Japan faces the important role of bridging a widening gap between Asian and industrialised countries over controversial trade issues.

The United States, along with Australia, New Zealand and Canada insists that target dates be set for trade liberalisation in keeping with declarations made at the Bogor, Indonesia, summit last year when leaders set 2010 as a target for liberalisation in advanced nations and 2020 for the less developed.

Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan say they basically support a “comprehensive” principle but some “flexibility” is needed in the actual enforcement of the rule.

Clinton was expected to meet with Japan’s leader Tomichi Murayama both in Osaka for discussions on the Action Agenda to be announced in Osaka and then in Tokyo after which an important security bilateral declaration was to be announced. Murayama said it was a “pity” the U.S. president would not be coming.

The Japanese foreign ministry said the declaration will be put off till another meeting can be arranged between the two leaders.

There is mounting public anger here over the continued presence of U.S. bases in Okinawa after the rape of a Japanese girl — allegedly by American soldiers.

With the sudden cancellation of the Clinton trip, Japan is now poised to play a more active role in the Osaka meeting. The leaders meeting set for the week-end will miss Clinton, said Hashimoto, adding that Japan would continue to exert its leadership.

APEC, formed in 1989, is made up of 18 countries — and includes the fastest growing economies in the world. It represents 40 per cent of the world’s population, 53 per cent of the global Gross National Product (GNP) and 41 per cent of world trade.

The APEC members are: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States.