The 30th Leaders' informal Meeting of the Asia -Pacific Economic Cooperation Organization (APEC) closed at the Moskini Center in San Francisco on November 17.The meeting issued a declaration of the Kinmen Strait, but in terms of the most critical promotion of economic and trade cooperation, there was no specific achievement.The negative impact of the game of the United States and China on the global economic and trade cooperation continues, which is a key factor that causes the conference to fail to achieve results in the economic and trade field.In addition, the domestic populist forces combined with trade protectionism made the Biden government unable to take pretty measures on economic and trade issues.Supply chain decourse and anti -globalization trends still pose a serious threat to free trade.
As a meeting to promote the Asia -Pacific economic and trade cooperation, the APEC San Francisco Conference has no surprising results in this regard.As the host of the United States who wants to fight for the right to speak with China in the Asia -Pacific region, the most obligated and powerful leading member states have achieved breakthroughs in economic and trade, injecting new impetus into the sluggish global economy.However, due to the fierce political struggle in China and the presidential election next year, the United States has not showed its due leadership. Even the Indo -Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) it proposed is equally lacking.This is not good news for the global economy, which is weak in the development of the epidemic and the rise in geopolitical risks.
In order to hedge China's "Belt and Road" strategy, the United States proposed an IPEF initiative in 2022 to cover four pillars: trade, supply chain, clean energy and infrastructure, tax reform and anti -corruption.Members and 14 economies including India participated.This is a major measure that the Bayeon government tried to rebuild the US international reputation after the former President Trump suddenly withdrew from the Cross -Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) in 2016.Once implemented, IPEF not only can further isolate China in international free trade issues, but may even make APEC marginalized.
Bynden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the bilateral summit of San Francisco, in addition to making some progress in military communication, improving the tension atmosphere of the competition between the two countries, the United States' "risk" strategy for China has accelerated supply chain decline and globalizationThe trend showed no signs of slowing down.As a result, the US -China game has led to a state of fragmentation of global free trade, which has not been made up by IPEF.The current situation of geopolitical security considerations overwhelming trade cooperation cannot be improved.This development trend is even more because of the politics development of the United States, which makes regional countries restless in the future of free trade.
Despite a number of lawsuits, Trump continued to show strong political energy with the dissatisfaction of voters' dissatisfaction with Biden's economic performance and immigration policy.He not only was invincible in the Republican Party, but also continued to lead Biden in various polls, forcing the Democratic Party to start a voices against the re -election of Biden's election.The next day Trump's closing of APEC, he said in a campaign that as long as he entered the White House, he must "stifle" an IPEF described by him as "TPP No. 2" because it hollowed out the US manufacturing industry and didAs a result, American workers are unemployed.This huge political uncertainty naturally allows other member states of IPEF to be reserved.
It is foreseeable that free trade cooperation in the Asia -Pacific and even Indo -Pacific regions still cannot get rid of the anti -winds of American populism and trade protectionism.However, the "de -risk" promoted by the United States is decoupled from the supply chain, which means that regional countries still have to face the pressure of choosing a side station between the United States or China.Their self -protection ways may only find their own economic development footholds between the gap between the geopolitical game.From this perspective, the global economy must find a new motivation, and the prospects are not optimistic.The small circle trade cooperation mechanism led by the United States and China is the main landscape of the world economy in the future.
Premier Lee Hsien Prime Minister pointed out to accompanying local media after APEC that under the environment of difficult regional economic and trade cooperation, Singapore must maintain a more flexible figure and create more opportunities. Singapore companies must strive to find and seize overseas opportunities.This does not mean that Singapore can only fight alone in the international market.In addition to participating in various regional free trade organizations, Singapore can also improve its bargaining ability through the collective force of Asia in Asia.In any case, in the face of challenging global trade situations, Singapore has no choice but to create new space and opportunities more.
