Event Summary
The Peterson Institute hosted a joint conference with the Japan Economic Foundation November 27, 2007, to discuss new Asia-Pacific trade initiatives. The conference addressed three major topics: the current status of bilateral and regional negotiations throughout the Asia-Pacific, the prospects for a new free trade (or economic partnership) agreement between the United States and Japan, and the outlook for a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific as now being considered in APEC.
Wendy Cutler, assistant US Trade Representative for Japan, Korea, and APEC Affairs, was the keynote speaker.
Event Materials
| Welcoming Remarks | C. Fred Bergsten, Peterson Institute Noboru Hatakeyama, Japan Economic Foundation
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| Session I | Topic | Bilateral and regional FTAs and EPAs that the United States and Japan have concluded and other trade initiatives in the region |
| Moderator | C. Fred Bergsten, Peterson Institute | |
| Presenters | Jeffrey Schott, Peterson Institute • presentation Yukiko Fukagawa, Waseda University • presentation Chulsu Kim, Senior Adviser at Lee International IP & Law Group in Seoul; Chairman of Institute for Trade and Investment (ITI); Former Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy, Republic of Korea; and former Deputy Director-General of the WTO • presentation
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| Session II | Topic | Issues towards the conclusion of a high quality US-Japan EPA/FTA |
| Moderator | Noboru Hatekeyama, Japan Economic Foundation | |
| Presenters | Scott Bradford, Peterson Institute • An Analysis of a Possible Japan-US Trade Agreement • presentation Shujiro Urata, Waseda University • presentation |
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| Discussants | Edward Lincoln, New York University Clyde Prestowitz, Economic Strategy Institute Junichiro Kuroda, Special Advisor to the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) and Director, JETRO New York
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| Keynote Speaker | Wendy Cutler Assistant US Trade Representative for Japan, Korea, and APEC Affairs |
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| Session III | Topic | Creation of a Free Trade Area of Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) |
| Moderator | Chulsu Kim, Senior Adviser at Lee International IP & Law Group in Seoul; Chairman of Institute for Trade and Investment (ITI); Former Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy, Republic of Korea; and former Deputy Director-General of the WTO |
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| Presenters | Gary Hufbauer, Peterson Institute • Fitting Asia-Pacific Agreements into the WTO System • presentation Noboru Hatakeyama, Japan Economic Foundation • The Creation of a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific C. Fred Bergsten, Peterson Institute • Toward a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific |
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| Discussants | Claude Barfield, American Enterprise Institute Shujiro Urata, Waseda University |
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