What is the difference between APEC, the EU and NAFTA?

Asia-Pacific

Economic

Cooperation, referred to as APEC, is the most influential official forum for economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. It was established in 1989 Year. In January 1989, when Australian Prime Minister Hawke visited South Korea, he suggested convening a ministerial meeting to discuss strengthening Asia-Pacific economic cooperation. After consultations with relevant countries, Australia, the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations held the first ministerial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference in Canberra, the capital of Australia, from November 5 to 7, 1989. The establishment of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference. In June 1993, it was renamed Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, referred to as Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC, and its English name is Asia-Pacific

Economic

Cooperation. The purpose is: to maintain economic growth and development; promote economic interdependence among members; strengthen the open multilateral trading system; reduce regional trade and investment barriers, and safeguard the common interests of the people of the region.

NAFTA Overview NAFTA Logo NAFTA consists of the United States, Canada and Mexico. The three countries reached an agreement on the North American Free Trade Agreement on August 12, 1992. It was officially signed by the leaders of the three countries in their respective countries on December 17 of the same year. On January 1, 1994, the agreement officially came into effect and the North American Free Trade Area was announced.

The purpose of the agreement is to remove trade barriers; create fair conditions and increase investment opportunities; protect intellectual property rights; establish an effective mechanism to implement the agreement and resolve trade disputes, and promote trilateral and multilateral cooperation.

The signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement will have a major impact on the economies of North American countries and even the world.

First of all, it has a positive impact on regional economic and trade development. For the United States, the positive impact is: First, not only industrial manufacturing companies will benefit, but high-tech industrial sectors will also increase their impact on Canada. , Mexican exports. The U.S. trade surplus with Mexico will increase as a result. Second, the expansion of investment in the western United States. Third, as a result of the adjustment of production and trade structures, a large amount of labor will be invested in those key industrial sectors. Fourth, the agreement will restrict Mexican immigration to the United States.

The main negative impacts are: the low-tech consumer goods industry is unfavorable to the United States. In order to improve the environmental conditions at the border between Mexico and the United States, the United States will have to pay an economic and social cost of US$6 billion to US$10 billion. The reduction of tariffs on the United States Reducing a large amount of income increases the burden on the United States. The agreement also has a great impact on Canada and Mexico.

Finally, it will also have an impact on international trade and capital flows. The establishment of the North American Free Trade Area has, on the one hand, expanded intra-regional trade, but on the other hand, it has caused some countries to worry about the rise of trade protectionism, posing a threat to exports from outside the region to the United States.

The organizational system of NAFTA includes the Free Trade Commission, Secretariat, special committees, working groups, expert groups, Environmental Cooperation Committee, Labor Cooperation Committee, administrative offices of various countries, and the North American Development Bank and the Border Environment Council.