Transcript: Amb. Greenwood Briefs on APEC Meetings in Shanghai
(Says economic effects of terrorist attacks will be short-term)The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum will be tested "as never before" when ministers and leaders from the region's 21 economies gather in Shanghai, China, the week of October 16 for their annual meetings, says the U.S. coordinator for APEC, Ambassador Lawrence Greenwood.
At the top of the agenda will be discussion of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. "This is the first major international meeting to take place in the world ... since the attacks in the United States," Greenwood said in an October 16 interview with the CCTV Chinese television service. "The collective commitment from these 21 economies I think is a very powerful and important statement. I think that this shows again how we can work through organizations like APEC to respond to problems that we face -- any challenges that arise."
He underlined that the focus on terrorism will not eclipse the traditional APEC agenda of promoting regional economic integration. "The attacks in the United States make it even more important, of course, that we get our economies turned around and get growth going again in the region," Greenwood said. "They're very much interrelated objectives."
Asked to comment on President Bush's planned bilateral meeting with President Jiang Zemin of China, Greenwood said that he expected the agenda to include China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). U.S. officials "are extremely pleased" over the accession, and the Bush-Jiang talks are likely to touch on ways that the United States and China can work together to ensure that both countries reap the benefits of China's WTO membership, Greenwood said.
"The reforms that are inherent in China's accession are very significant, and they will significantly increase trade and investment flows between China and the rest of the world," he added.
Greenwood also predicted that there would be no lasting economic impact from the attacks, or from the measures taken in response by the United States and other countries. "Of course there is always going to be some short-term wariness in the markets, but already we're seeing markets now returning to normal," he said. Greenwood acknowledged that most of the world's economies are experiencing a downturn in the business cycle, but described it as something "we will work our way through." He added: "In fact, by taking care of this terrorist threat, we can only add confidence to the markets."
Following is a transcript of the CCTV interview:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
October 16, 2001Press Briefing
by Ambassador Lawrence Greenwood
with CCTV
Q: Mr. Greenwood, is this the first time you've visited Shanghai?
AMB. GREENWOOD: No, it is actually number three.
Q: When was the first time?
AMB. GREENWOOD: I came here in, I guess it was April or May of last year, when China held a special session to help prepare for its -- last year, in 2000 -- to help prepare for its year chairing APEC. It is the first time that anybody at the APEC chair has held a preparatory conference to seek ideas for themes for that year. So it's quite an innovation.
Q: This is the first year China hosts APEC. What is your comment on its performance so far?
AMB GREENWOOD: It's been a fantastic job. It's been a very gracious host to us Senior Officials, and also to our Ministers and we anticipate it will also be a very gracious host to our leaders this weekend. On substance they have done a great job of providing good leadership and providing a vision that we can all work with and making sure that we all are headed in the same direction. So they've done a great job.
Q: The APEC economic leaders are expected to issue a statement against terrorism and this is the first time such kind of political issues are touched upon in the economic forum. How important do you think such a statement would be for the campaign against terrorism?
AMB GREENWOOD: I think it's very important. This is the first major international meeting to take place in the world, and particularly such a large meeting -- 21 economies accounted for, more than half of world GNP -- to take place since the attacks in the United States. The collective commitment from these 21 economies I think is a very powerful and important statement. So I think that this shows again how we can work through organizations like APEC to respond to problems that we face, any challenges that arise. You said it's a political statement, but in fact the attacks in the United States, while they were, of course, attacks against innocent civilians, innocent people as well as against buildings, they were also attacks against our economic values and the values that we hold dear with regard to working together to have trade and investment, to grow and prosper together. It's significant, I think, that the World Trade Center was targeted. World trade, in fact, lies at the center of the phenomenal growth that this region has seen across the Pacific in the last ten to fifteen years. This is not only a political attack, it's an economic attack. Also, we have economic tools that we need to use to fight terrorism. And a lot of the programs that APEC has provide us tools -- and when I say "us" I mean all the economies in the region -- to help combat terrorism and to cope with terrorist attacks when they occur.
Q: We understand that this a very difficult time for the United States right now, and there has been speculation that President Bush would have to cancel his trip to China for APEC. Why is he still coming?
AMB. GREENBERG: It's because he has such a strong commitment to the region as an important part of our economic well being in America, as well as our sense of security. And it's because he, I believe, perceives this region as being a very important part of this coalition that we're building -- the broadest coalition to face a common enemy in history. That reflects both his commitment to the region as well as his strong desire to work together with the economies in the region to both combat terrorism and turn our economies around so that we can start growing again like we have been for many years.
Q: Is there anything you can say about what the United States expects from this year's APEC meeting?
AMB. GREENWOOD: Well, APEC is going to be tested. It is being tested as never before. It is being tested, as I said earlier, about how we can respond to this terrorist threat. It's also being tested about how it can respond towards making sure that the economic slowdown we are going through is a very brief slowdown, that we will be growing again very quickly and that we will again, we hope again -- it's going to be probably at the end of this year and early next year -- that we come out of it with even stronger market structures, so that the potential for growth in the years to come will be even greater. It's really those two areas where we are focusing our attention. Particularly in terms of the common growth issue, we've been of course working all year on that, and we have important things to say and important accomplishments to point to.
Q: Do you think the issue of terrorism will overshadow the economic consideration of APEC this year?
AMB. GREENWOOD: They really aren't related and so it's not a question of overshadowing. The attacks in the United States make it even more important, of course, that we get our economies turned around and get growth going again in the region. So they're very much interrelated objectives and we are proceeding to meet those challenges.
Q: This APEC visit will be the first time President Bush will make a trip out of the United States. Are you concerned about his security?
AMB. GREENWOOD: It actually won't be his first foreign trip, but since the attacks, yes, that's true. Not my area per se, it's not really something I could comment on, but I have to say that you just have to look around Shanghai to feel awfully secure. The security here is extremely tight and very capably run.
Q: This coming weekend President Bush will be meeting our President Jiang Zemin for the first time. In your knowledge, what are they going to talk about?
AMB GREENWOOD: My responsibility really is in the APEC area. I'm not responsible for the bilateral relationship. Obviously the President is very much looking forward to meeting President Jiang and I know they're going to have a very productive discussion. We have a lot to talk about, and a lot of challenges to meet as well as a lot of opportunities to take advantage of. So one of the areas I am familiar with is the WTO accession for China and we are extremely pleased that that is proceeding, and [the question of] how we can work together to make sure that we all benefit from that accession is going to come up.
Q: What's your comment on -- as you know, China's WTO entry [is] coming quite soon. How would that affect the process of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation?
AMB GREENWOOD: It will of course have a very direct effect. The reforms that are inherent in China's accession are very significant, and they will significantly increase trade and investment flows between China and the rest of the world. That will have very important benefits to -- principally and number one, of course -- the Chinese people. Those countries that open up markets are the number one beneficiaries of the market opening. But it will also benefit, of course, China's trading partners as well. A very important win-win scenario.
Q: How do you think, talking about the economy, a prolonged anti-terrorist war will affect the U.S. economy?
AMB GREENWOOD: The attacks themselves, as well as the response to them, will not have any lasting economic impact. Of course there is always going to be some short-term wariness in the markets, but already we're seeing markets now returning to normal. Of course we are in a business cycle downturn, so we will work our way through that, but we don't anticipate that this will have any bad economic impact. In fact, by taking care of this terrorist threat, we can only add confidence to the two markets.
Q: What about the people's feelings in the United States right how. Can you tell us a little bit about it?
AMB. GREENWOOD: I can only speak personally about that, I guess. My sense is that it's still grief, although I think we're now moving to a period in which we're getting back to normal, getting more confidence. We understand that the world has changed, though, but it means that we have to think about things that sometimes we might not want to think about, but that's what we have to do. So there's a determination -- a resolve, I think -- that you see. And it's actually back on a ... course we saw very quickly after the aftermath of the attacks, when people were running on the streets of New York and cheering the construction workers who were bringing away rubble. That was a very striking picture of people, flags and cheering on of people who were cleaning up the mess -- that kind of excitement. The other thing I think that's really affected people in America is that this has brought us closer to the rest of the world. The outpouring of emotion and sympathy and support has come from all over the world. It has, I think, deeply affected Americans. This tragedy has actually brought us all closer together. And we also have a very strong realization that this is a shared tragedy. These weren't just Americans who died. Unfortunately, nationals of nearly all the APEC economies also perished and were hurt in these attacks. And so this is something that we share. In some ways it's bonding us.
Q: Last question. We understand the terrorist attack has not only affected the U.S. economy, but also serves as a heavy blow for the world economy. Any comment on the outlook of the world economy?
AMB. GREENWOOD: Actually I would dispute the characterization that the attacks have been a heavy blow on the world economy. Certainly it has affected certain industries and has had a short term impact on perhaps investor confidence, although as I mentioned before the markets are recovering, so I don't anticipate that this will have a long-lasting effect on either the U.S. economy or the world economy. I think more importantly is if it can jar us, perhaps, into realizing just where our interests lie -- that again, as I mentioned before, we are in this together, and that in fact if we would be a bit more open-minded, that we could actually enjoy more cooperation, more investment and more trade, and more economic interaction which will benefit us all, that maybe this can have a positive effect in driving these more economic interactions between us which will in fact make us even stronger than before the attacks.
Q: Thank you very much.
AMB. GREENWOOD: Thank you.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
Return to The United States and APEC.Return to IIP Home Page.