PRIME MINISTER:
Well ladies and gentlemen, the meeting has concluded and you've heard the declaration that was read by the chairman of the meeting, the Chilean President. This has been the best APEC meeting for a number of years. There's a sense that the momentum has been regained. There's a strong commitment by the United States, a re-elected President, a very strong commitment by China, an important first meeting for the newly elected Indonesian President, and, of course, the meeting has taken place at a time when the world economy is at its best for about 27 years. I made the observation at the meeting this morning that all of the omens for growth and economic activity around the world are quite good at the present time. Notwithstanding that, of course there is a continuing concern about issues of terrorism. I thought importantly there was an emphasis placed on issues of governance and corruption. We had quite a lengthy discussion about that this morning which is very important. I've also had a series of bilateral discussions both formal and informal. I've had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Malaysia. We both agreed that the bilateral relationship was in very good condition and he observed at the beginning of the meeting that the educational legacy of past activity in that area is very strong, and we both agreed that that is one of the areas that can be further expanded. And of course I'll have the opportunity of meeting many of these leaders again next week at the ASEAN gathering in Vientiane.
I had a very valuable bilateral meeting with the Chinese President which has just been concluded and that meeting discussed not only the health of the bilateral relationship, which is very good, but also issues relating to North Korea. North Korea remains one of the bigger challenges that our region faces. I'm very strongly of the view that the North Korean issue should continue to be dealt with within the framework of the six power discussions, and that's a view that I know is shared by others. It's certainly shared by the United States and it's a view that I've put to the Chinese. But overall it's been a very valuable meeting. APEC is making progress. There have been significant lowering of tariff barriers, a significant increase in investment between APEC countries, and importantly it's a unique forum that brings together a cross-section of countries that you don't find in any other gathering of manageable size.
One of the things about the APEC meeting is that the number of leaders present is about the maximum that you can usefully have without it simply becoming just a forum in which people make set-piece speeches. I've been to a lot of international meetings now after having been Prime Minister for approaching 9 years and I think there is a balancing point. Once you go beyond it, it really just becomes an assembly of people rather than a genuine interaction, and one of the great advantages of APEC at the present time is that the number is very manageable and it is a very, very useful forum.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, can you explain what the initiative is in the Santiago Initiative. A lot of it reads like a reaffirmation of what has been described before. What was it?
PRIME MINISTER:
This is a proposal which has emanated from the United States to get a greater emphasis in different countries on ways of dealing with corruption and I think the great value, but bear in mind that corruption... no country can argue that it's totally free of it, but there are obviously many counties that are relatively free of it. It's fair say certainly that corruption at a senior level in governments in Australia is a very rare thing. We have a very good record, particularly at the federal level and we have a very good record in relation to our judiciary. I mean, I don't want to get into the business of finger pointing on this but we have to be realistic that it is a challenge, it is a problem, and the more at this sort of level we can talk about the need to deal with it. And significantly to make the point that corruption can be a deterrent for investment. This is a message that should be understood by developing countries in particular.
JOURNALIST:
Did you leave this meeting really convinced that the United States and Japan are fair dinkum about achieving a good outcome to the Doha Round?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I'm certainly persuaded at the American commitment, and I think Japan is in a position to be more active on that front because the Japanese economy has got stronger
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, in your discussions with President Hu did you touch on the steps towards a free trade agreement with China and what progress are you making?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we're actually making some quite good progress on that. I will be going to China for the Boao Economic Forum in April, and, if I as expected do that, I will pay an official visit to China in the process, and we may have progressed by then enough to same something, we may not. And could I just caution again that you don't benchmark these things according to process, you look at the substance. And the President quoted to me some figures at our meeting which indicated there had been something like a 50 per cent increase in the trade between our two countries over the last year. That was the correct period? Yeah, it was a quite extraordinary reminder of just how the thing's progressed.
JOURNALIST:
Did you have any further in-the-margin discussions with President Bush?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we talked quite a lot about North Korea as well as about other subjects of mutual interest to him and me, perhaps not to others. Electoral matters , let me put it that way.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, you go onto Vientiane now, can you tell us in specific terms what would be the best outcomes for you there? What are you hoping to achieve there?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think the fact that we're going there is a good outcome. That fact that to mark the 30th anniversary of ASEAN this invitation has been extended. I take a measured approach to the association with ASEAN as such. Any advance is welcome but I don't think we should get over excited, and we have very good and developing bilateral links with many of the countries in ASEAN, and of course we have extremely well developed relations with many of the countries with whom ASEAN is in a dialogue. And after all, when you look at it, two of the dialogue partners of ASEAN are China and Japan. I mean you have to have sense of proportion with these things.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard considering the proposed FTA with China and new leadership in Malaysia and Indonesia, is Australia's position in Asia now more assured?
PRIME MINISTER:
I never talk about Australia's position in Asia. It sort of beckons to older language which I don't think is constructive. We seek good relations with a lot of countries as an independent Australian nation and we've been pretty successful in pursuing that line.
JOURNALIST:
Will your fourth term be your Asia term?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I'm not going to claim any of those descriptions (inaudible). Other people can do that but they don't come from lips. I intend to use the fourth term to consolidate and further expand our relations with all countries that are important to Australia's future, not only countries in Asia.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, why wasn't the APEC proposal for a free trade agreement scoping study picked up in the communiqu‚ this afternoon?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think what is the attitude taken by leaders towards that was that the notion as such of a free trade agreement for the whole region was not one that they saw was capable of early achievement, and that if in the process of bilateral, and in some cases trilateral, free trade agreements emerging between member countries of APEC a de facto arrangement of the type they were seeking emerged all well and good. It's just once again a question of making sure that you don't have too many horses in the one race, and it's a bit hard sometimes to know which one to back.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, you said over a number of days that you feel that China has a special role to play in negotiations with North Korea in putting pressure on North Korea, I assume you put that to President Hu today. What was his reaction to that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, what I've said is that no country has a greater capacity to influence North Korea than China. I think he's conscious of that, but China speaks for China. I'll speak for Australia.
JOURNALIST:
Did he agree with your point that the six party talks are the best way to go?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh, I think he (inaudible). Yes.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, on the Free Trade Agreement with China I wonder if you could outline or clarify for me how are we closer to such an agreement as a result of the talks today?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I don't know that we're dramatically closer as a result of my talks today. I mean I always like to imagine my discussions produce results but over a period of time we're having discussions and it's agreed between both sides that we're making good progress. But can I just say again that if we don't have a free trade agreement with China it won't alter the fact that we have a fantastic economic relationship which has just burgeoned unbelievably over the last few years.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard the communiqu‚ links security and the importance of that, as President Bush said terrorists .... (inaudible) ... jobs. Do you see this as part of the evolution within APEC on the question of security?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well any organisation evolves and reacts according to changed circumstances. When APEC was put together nobody anticipated the 11th of September 2001. So clearly it has to adapt and change according to circumstances.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, was there any consideration given to including a specific reference to the North Korean issue in the leaders communiqu‚ even saying that matters were to continue in the six party talks?
PRIME MINISTER:
No.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, did you talk to President Hu about LNG?
PRIME MINISTER:
We always talk LNG.
JOURNALIST:
What did he say?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I expressed pleasure with the fact that the relationship has developed as far as it has in relation to LNG and that we stood ready to see it develop even further.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, Mr Bush has announced today that Australia and Japan have joined the United States in contributing to an Asian Development Bank initiative on money laundering. Can you explain what we're doing there?
PRIME MINISTER:
I must say the detail of that escapes me.
JOURNALIST:
Was there any discussion about Australia forgiving its debt to Iraq?
PRIME MINISTER:
Not here. But that's been.... No, because that's been discussed earlier, and I think there was something discussed in relation to that at the G-20 meeting in Berlin, but we've indicated a willingness to deal in relation to that.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, do you have any comment on the death of Janine Haines?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes. I would just like to express my great sympathy to her family. I learned from Senator Lees just before I left Australia the former Senator and Leader of the Australia Democrats was gravely ill, and it's a tragic death. She's been ill for some time. She was a very effective leader of the Australia Democrats, a very good Senator. I remember her well, the time that she led Democrats in the Senate, and I do want extend to her husband Ian, and the other members of the family, my very deep sympathy and that of my party.
Thank you.
[ends]