As a young man, he was less than keen to go to Vietnam. But after his mid-term “thumping”, President George W Bush may welcome the chance to hole up in Hanoi at the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit meeting. Vietnam is a one-party state. After recent events, the United States is not.
Escape from the US or not, Bush’s attendance in Hanoi is necessitated by ongoing efforts to maintain US influence in a region increasingly dominated by China. Critics say Apec is being outstripped by rival organisations. Next month the Philippines will host the latest East Asia Summit, a new Beijing-backed group that excludes Washington.
Apec is supposed to promote free trade and investment. Its communique is expected to urge a “last chance” rescue of the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) stalled Doha round of liberalisation measures. It will also raise the prospect of an Apec-wide free trade zone. Together the 21 member states account for nearly half of world trade.
But Bush’s hopes of furthering his free trade agenda by normalising trade ties with Vietnam’s communist-capitalist bosses were dashed by Congress last week. Although the measure could be resurrected, the defeat was a sign of things to come. Many Democrats in the new congressional intake have adopted protectionist positions in response to voter concerns about “unfair” foreign competition. And Bush’s fast-track authority for approving a global trade deal will expire next July.
Much of the summit’s unofficial work will take place off-stage. Bush and President Vladimir Putin are finally expected to shake hands on Russian membership of the WTO. This could help ease bilateral friction over Moscow’s energy policies and its democratic deficit.
Bush, in turn, will again press Putin to back United Nations sanctions on Iran’s nuclear programme. Russia halted discussions on a punitive resolution last week.
The Apec meeting will see similar consultations over North Korea’s recent nuclear test, involving Chinese President Hu Jintao, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other members of the six-party process. Oddly, North Korea was not invited to the summit even though it has agreed to resume negotiations.
Bush will press South Korea to reconsider its refusal to help search the North’s ships for weapons of mass destruction-related material.
Absent from Apec’s agenda, official or unofficial, are issues of good governance, democracy and human rights. Mutual interest dictates that martial law in Thailand, corruption in Taiwan and Indonesia, free speech curbs in Singapore, racism in Australia, political persecution in China and torture and illegal detention by the US are not discussed. It seems Bush’s “freedom agenda” does not stretch to Asia.
That will suit the summit hosts. Although the US state department eased the way for Bush by claiming religious tolerance in Vietnam was improving, watchdogs say denial of fundamental political, civil and religious rights remains systemic.
A report by Human Rights Watch says the mistreatment of homeless people is increasing ahead of the showpiece summit. “Government round-ups to clear Hanoi’s streets of ‘wanderers’ and ‘vagrants’ are landing street children in detention centres where some are beaten and subjected to other forms of abuse,” it says. — Â