Japan Wants APEC to Discuss Services Free Trade Next Year

Tokyo, Nov. 3 (Jiji Press)--Japan has proposed Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum members start full-fledged discussions on the liberalization of services related to manufacturing and the environment, Jiji Press learned Monday. Japan aims to obtain consent to such discussions during a series of APEC meetings that will start this week in Beijing, informed sources said. APEC ministerial talks will be held Friday and Saturday, and a two-day summit of the 21-member forum will start on Nov. 10. Main agenda items of the APEC meetings, chaired by China, include mapping out a road map for an envisioned Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific covering the 21 economies. Japan has insisted on the liberalization of manufacturing-related services, such as maintenance and repair of industrial goods, and environment-related services, such as water purification, noting that the services' liberalization is behind moves to cut tariffs on goods. The country is calling on APEC members to start full-fledged negotiations on the liberalization next year at the Committee on Trade and Investment, the sources said. APEC members have agreed to reduce tariffs on 54 items of "environmental goods," such as solar panels, to 5 pct or less by the end of 2015. But they have been slow in reviewing nontariff barriers, which serve as stumbling blocks to foreign companies' operations, in environment-related services, such as solar power generation, waste treatment and water purification. In manufacturing-related services, restrictions on foreign investment have forced providers of maintenance and repair services to give up starting local operations although manufacturers began local production. It is necessary to take immediate action, a Japanese government official said. END