The APEC experiment: an open economic association in the Asia Pacific

Abstract

Presents an essay on Asia Pacific Economic Co‐operation (APEC), an innovative and flexible form of co‐operation designed to accommodate the diversity of the economies on the Pacific Rim. The main challenge for the APEC process is finding a workable compromise between different approaches to economic co‐operation. Points out that the structure of APEC will need great flexibility to accommodate the declining influence of the USA in the Asia Pacific and the increasing strength of the Chinese and South East Asian economies compared to both Japan and the USA. Appendix contains an executive summary of the targets which were agreed by APEC governments, at Bogor, Indonesia, in 1994, in order to realize their vision of free and open trade and investment.

Citation

Drysdale, P. and Elek, A. (1996), "The APEC experiment: an open economic association in the Asia Pacific", International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 23 No. 4/5/6, pp. 164-187. https://doi.org/10.1108/03068299610121796