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Minutes

PBEC Working Committee on Foreign Direct Investment

Saturday, April 7, 2001
11:00am - 13:00pm
Tokyo, Japan

Chair: Mr. Brant Free ( United States)

  1. Minutes from November 11, 2000 Committee Meeting in Singapore were approved.

  2. Update on Major Developments - Nice!

  3. Work Plan & Activities

    1. Ongoing/Proposed Activities
      Updating FDI Charter - "is there a need for the charter?"
      Recommendations - Many areas were suggested for updating the charter

      1. Corporate Conduct
      2. Globalization Awareness
      3. Environment
      4. Human
      5. PBEC work since 1995, references and other PBEC charters
      6. Statement of environment charters
      7. Recommend Subcommittee to create draft for new charter
      8. Canadians will take the lead
      9. Some reservations from Tan Sri and Arai. No consensus on what needs to be updated.
      10. Updating charter proposal into three areas. Motion proposed
      11. Canada to lead subcommittee on charter update
        1. Malaysia
        2. New Zealand
        3. Indonesdia - to give inputs
        4. Korea - to give inputs
        5. Singapore - to give inputs
        6. Latin America

      FDI Index Collaboration - Proposal to develop to encourage business - NGO partnerships - no confidence in itself for the work. Needs collaboration not enough reserves. "PBEC not good enough". Tansri thinks PECC and APEC are better equipped. Need resources from IS perhaps. Informal interfacing suggested with APEC instead.

      Future programs
      Update FDI Charter
      Informal Interfacing with APEC

  4. Solicitation by Mr. Klien of interest in regional services issues for PBEC. Hong-Kong meeting

    Issue: Business Community needs to reach the 18 - 25 year old demographic protesting globalization.
    Goo suggests Honolulu as location for next WTO/WEF meetings.

  5. Subcommittee's report on telecommunications - No reports since Mr. Lundberg is absent.

  6. Services committee involvement in other trade fora - Handout not available/cyber-security.
    1. GBDe - competitor of PBEC. To take place in Tokyo at Le Meridian.
    2. World Services Congress in Hong-Kong this fall

  7. Shanghai model Port Project (in cooperation with PBEC E-Business Committee). Tim Jobe reported out for absent Committee members.

    Proposal submitted for consideration.
    Item C highlighted. Services Committee to work with commerce on this proposal.
    Solicitation of PBEC member involvement - See attached

  8. Conclusions
    1. No changes to draft statements
    2. OR new draft policy lang
    3. No major new initiatives other than (VII)

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Last Modified: 16 July 2001