(Yonhap Interview) Japan stresses importance of linkage between G-20 and APEC

By Kim Young-gyo
SEOUL, Feb. 18 (Yonhap) -- Japan hopes to see a link made between the November
Group of 20 summit of advanced and emerging economies (G-20) and the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum that same month, its top envoy to Seoul said
Thursday.
The G-20 summit emerged out of efforts to come up with a concerted global
response to the financial crisis sparked by the U.S. subprime mortgage disaster
in 2008.
South Korea, this year's chair of the G-20, is scheduled to host the forum's
fifth summit in November, while Japan is hosting the APEC summit in the same
month.
"It is important to connect APEC and G-20 closely," Ambassador Toshinori Shigeie
said in a recent interview with Yonhap News Agency.
"I expect to see cooperation between Japan and South Korea, which is aimed at
reflecting the voices of other Asia-Pacific countries that can not participate in
the G-20," he said.
The Japanese ambassador also emphasized the leadership role of South Korea, which
has taken on the chairmanship of the G-20 at a time when the global economy is
beginning to see signs of recovery.
"I hope that this year (the economy) will see a reverse from last year. In that
sense, the G-20 summit in South Korea will have significant meaning," Shigeie
said.
He said South Korea's contribution to the gathering will be appreciated by the
international community if it successfully positions itself as an arbitrator
between advanced and emerging countries.
"In order to overcome the financial crisis and to secure sustainable growth for
the global economy, the participation of countries such as South Korea, China,
Brazil and India is indispensable," the envoy said.
"I anticipate that South Korea will show its leadership through the G-20 by
mediating the economic policies of developed and emerging nations."
At the same time, the top Japanese diplomat to South Korea was cautious over
whether the G-20 could develop into an international governance system capable of
dealing with political and diplomatic issues, including North Korea's nuclear
programs.
"It is a difficult problem. The G-20 summit was built as a ground for tackling
the financial and economic crisis. As the global economy is still in an
unpredictable situation, the priority lies with the problems we are now
confronted with," he said.
"The issues that the G-20 should be focused on are those of finance and the
economy. The currently expected agenda of the G-20 is not directed toward the
North Korean issues," said Shigeie, stressing that North Korea should first come
back to the six-party talks aimed at ending its nuclear ambition.
North Korea agreed in 2005 during the multilateral talks that also include South
Korea, the United States, Japan, China and Russia to give up its nuclear
ambitions in exchange for political and economic concessions. The country
announced in April last year, however, that it would permanently withdrew from
the nuclear negotiations.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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