APEC to Speed Telecom Imports
By Laurinda Keys
Associated Press Writer
Friday, June 5, 1998; 11:40 a.m. EDT
SINGAPORE (AP) -- Pacific Rim nations agreed Friday on a pact to speed
imports of telecommunications equipment and cut costs by trimming testing
requirements.
The agreement, adopted by government ministers of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation forum, is part of a plan to eliminate tariffs on all
information technology products by 2000. A similar agreement between the
United States and the European Union was signed May 18.
The APEC agreement allows products that have already been tested and
certified to be exported without required retesting in the import country.
That will speed up marketing of technologies and products that are rapidly
updated, while reducing testing and certification costs that are often passed on
to consumers.
Industry executives praised the agreement, but regretted that some countries
will not implement it until 2006.
The agreement will affect about $45 billion in current trade flows, or
one-third of the global market, the U.S. Trade Representative office said in a
statement from Washington.
The arrangement sets up a framework for manufacturers and exporters to test
telecom equipment according to the standards of the importing country.
The APEC ministers set dates for 16 of the 18 member nations to implement
the agreement. Chile and New Zealand said they will not participate because
their regulations are already simple enough for imports.
The agreement is part of a voluntary liberalization process that APEC leaders
launched last November. Telecom is one of nine industries targeted for action
in the first half of this year.
APEC trade ministers will meet in Kuching, Malaysia, on June 22-23 to
discuss the remaining eight: environmental goods and services, medical
equipment and instruments, chemicals, energy sector, forest products, fish,
gems and jewelry, and toys.
APEC comprises 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.
Candidate members are Russia, Vietnam and Peru.
c Copyright 1998 The Associated Press |
