Dr M's first day at Apec summit
ZURAIMI ABDULLAH,New Straits Times 13 hours ago
PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea: Australia seems to be at odds with Malaysia over globalisation and free trade as Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad ended a memorable first day at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation's annual summit here.
The day was also highlighted by the US and China crossing swords over protectionism, trade tariffs and "chequebook" diplomacy as they jostle for influence in the Asia Pacific region.
Dr Mahathir, just like at the Asean Summit in Singapore early this week, again championed the cause of free and fair trade especially for developing countries within Apec's 21 member economies.
He warned that globalisation was leaving some people behind and fuelling inequality.
“The benefits of free and fair trade and economic integration have been ruptured, exemplified by Brexit and trade wars between major economies,” Mahathir said at the Apec CEO Summit, kicking off his first Apec appearance since the 2003 edition in Thailand.
“The trade war between the US and China has amplified further the disruption to our trade and commerce," he added.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended free trade.
Morrison reportedly said more than a billion people had been lifted out of extreme poverty since 1991 because of the jobs and more affordable consumer goods that free trade enabled.
At a business forum held on a hulking cruise ship moored here, president Xi Jinping and US vice-president Mike Pence made exchanges that could be a precursor to a fiery encounter between the Chinese leader and President Donald Trump at next month's G20 meeting in Argentina.
Xi, according fo Reuters, had lashed out at “America First” trade protectionism.
In a thinly-veiled swipe at Washington, he stressed that global trade rules should not be applied “with double standards or selfish agendas”.
For his part, Pence vowed US tariffs would remain in place unless Beijing “changes its ways”.
Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir spent much of his time on the sidelines of the summit with bilateral and business meetings.
Onboard Pacific Explorer cruise ship, Dr Mahathir had a 40-minute meeting with representatives from some big and famous US companies. They included Google, FedEx, UPS, Johnson & Johnson and Moody's.
Dr Mahathir was then driven to Stanley Hotel, about 10 minutes from where Pacific Explorer is moored, for two bilateral meetings.
First was with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose father, the then Canadian premier Pièrre Elliot Trudeau, had brought him to meet Dr Mahathir in 1982.
Trudeau, 46, became Canada's youngest prime minister in 2015, while the 93-year-old Dr Mahathir became the world's oldest premier following Pakatan Harapan's victory in the general election in May this year.
Dr Mahathir and Trudeau spent half an hour talking about socio and economic ties between the two countries.
Dr Mahathir wrapped up his bilateral assignment with a 30-minute meeting with Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam.
He thanked Hong Kong for providing scholarships to some 400 Malaysian students over the past years to study at universities there.
Lam, meanwhile, told Dr Mahathir that she likes visiting Malaysia especially Penang.
"I love going to Penang for holidays. It's such a nice city," she remarked. © New Straits Times Press
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