IV

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 113

Relating to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation organization.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 22, 1993

Mr. MCDERMOTT submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was

referred jointly to the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Ways and Means

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Relating to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation

organization.

Whereas the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation organization

was formed in 1989 in order to strengthen regional ties

among the economies of member countries of the organization by reducing barriers to trade and investment between such members;

Whereas the organization seeks to reduce such barriers

through economic cooperation and the coordination of

policy among such members;

Whereas the United States is a member of the organization;

Whereas trade between the United States and organization

members Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, the

People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Indonesia,

Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand,
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the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand accounts for more than half of all United States two-way

trade;

Whereas the United States exported $218,000,000,000 of

goods and services to members of the organization in

1992, an amount constituting 52 percent of the value of

all United States exports in that year;

Whereas the volume of trade between the United States and

the Asia Pacific region increased at an average annual

rate of 9.1 percent between 1980 and the present;

Whereas that rate of increase exceeds the average annual

rate of increase in trade during that period between the

United States and any other region;

Whereas it is in the interest of the United States to expand

trade between the United States and Asia Pacific countries in order to create more export-oriented jobs for

Americans;

Whereas the United States, as a Pacific power with significant economic and security interests in the East Asia and

Pacific regions, should be engaged actively in shaping institutional arrangements that advance freer trade and

strengthen the multilateral trade system;

Whereas the annual ministerial meeting of the organization

will be held in Seattle, Washington, on November 17

through November 19, 1993, and will be chaired and

hosted by the United States;

Whereas chairing and hosting the ministerial meeting presents the United States with the opportunity to initiate

a proactive agenda in order to achieve progress among

members of the organization relating to economic competition, civil aviation, energy cooperation, use and ex-
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change of technological data and products, intellectual

property rights, human resources development, and the

environment; and

Whereas a strong United States commitment to the organization can promote liberalization of trade among organization members, and can advance interests common to such

members in a region undergoing rapid economic and political transformation: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring),

3 SECTION 1. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

4 It is the sense of Congress—

5 (1) to encourage United States leadership in

6 the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation organization;

7 and

8 (2) that the President, the Secretary of State,

9 and other representatives of the United States Gov10 ernment should take the opportunity presented by

11 the scheduled chairing and hosting by the United

12 States of the ministerial meeting of the organization

13 in Seattle, Washington, on November 17 through

14 November 19, 1993, to reaffirm the United States

15 commitment to make Asia Pacific Economic Co16 operation an effective regional economic organization

17 that reduces formal and informal barriers to in18 creased intra-regional trade through the harmoni19 zation of standards, trade, and investment policies.
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1 SEC. 2. TRANSMITTAL OF RESOLUTION.

2 The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall

3 transmit a copy of this resolution to the President and

4 the Secretary of State.

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