Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Obama makes free trade push at Pacific Rim summit
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Weekend Edition
Australia
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
Obama makes free trade push at Pacific Rim summit
AFP - 1 hour 1 minute ago
Send
IM Story
Print
Obama makes free trade push at Pacific Rim summit
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AFP) - – US President Barack Obama made a push for free trade across Asia and the Pacific, at a regional summit clouded by tensions between its biggest economies.
Pitching a free-trade pact that would group countries on both sides of the Pacific, Obama on Saturday said that "the security and prosperity of the American people is inextricably linked to the security and prosperity of Asia".
The US president said that seven of Americas 15 top trading partners were members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, whose 21 member economies are meeting in the Japanese port city of Yokohama near Tokyo.
With an eye to his domestic audience, which this month delivered him a mid-term electoral drubbing, Obama added that "with every one billion dollars we sell in exports, 5,000 jobs are supported at home".
While a key aim of APEC is to liberalise the flow of goods, sharp divisions over trade have created tensions that surfaced at an earlier G20 summit in South Korea, especially between the United States and China.
Both economies accuse each other of undervaluing their currencies in order to make their goods more competitive abroad, and China has rejected a US proposal to take steps to reduce its huge trade surplus.
Stressing the point again, Obama said that "countries with large surpluses must shift away from an unhealthy dependence on exports and take steps to boost domestic demand. No nation should assume that their path to prosperity is simply paved with exports to America."
China's President Hu Jintao pledged gradual currency reform and efforts to promote free and balanced trade, but also said that other countries must not ask too much of emerging economies such as China.
"To ask them to take on responsibilities and obligations beyond their capabilities and development stage will do no good to international cooperation and world economic development," Hu told a business forum in Yokohama.
Obama said that the United States, which hosts next year's APEC summit in Hawaii, wants to pursue the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a proposed free trade zone that now includes Brunei, Singapore, Chile and New Zealand.
The United States, Australia and three other countries are now in talks to join the group, and other nations are eyeing the pact, which is seen as a vehicle towards a much wider Pacific Rim treaty.
While the United States and China, the world's number one and two economies, have sparred over currencies and trade, other lingering disputes between them and other key players also threaten to overshadow the APEC summit.
Without mentioning communist-ruled China, Obama stressed that democracy is "the most effective form of government the world has ever known".
"It will always be true that when leaders are accountable to their people, their people are more likely to prosper," he said.
Host Japan has been embroiled in a bitter row with China for two months, since its arrest of a Chinese fishing trawler captain in disputed waters sparked a barrage of protests and retaliation from Beijing.
Amid the spat, officials have announced no plans for a meeting in Yokohama between Kan and Hu, who had only an informal chat at the G20 meeting.
The row has however helped to reaffirm a 50-year-old US-Japan alliance that has been badly strained by a dispute over a controversial US airbase.
The premier of Japan, who has also been sparring with Russia in a separate territorial row, told reporters after meeting Obama: "I thanked him for continued US support while there are some issues over China and Russia".
"I told him that the Japanese people as well as our neighbours recognised that the US military presence is all the more important for the peace and security of this region," Kan said as he stood alongside Obama.
The US president called the US-Japan relationship "the foundation of our security and our prosperity".
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
Related Articles
Pirates hijack ship with 29 Chinese sailors - report Reuters - 46 minutes ago
China 'lays down gauntlet' at Asian Games AFP - 58 minutes ago
Obama makes free trade push at Pacific Rim summit AFP - 1 hour 1 minute ago
Indonesia volcano death toll rises to 240 AFP - 1 hour 19 minutes ago
Coach Henry wants more from All Blacks against Scotland AFP - 2 hours 7 minutes ago
News Search
Top Stories
Zsa Zsa Gabor rushed to hospital for blood clot
Britain launches fresh drive on tax havens
After Fed boost, global woes hit Wall Street
'Naked' airport scanners may be 'dangerous'
Obama mounts strong defence of US economic policy
More Top Stories »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Most Recommended
EU fines 11 airlines 800 million euros for air cargo cartel
DNA test raises doubts over Texas man's execution
Boeing blames Dreamliner fire on faulty power panel
Asian Games open with China set to dominate
EU heavyweights move to calm bond markets
More Most Viewed »
Alcohol more harmful than heroin, crack cocaine: study
Toddler survives seven-floor fall in France
Spectacular unknown species found in Amazon
EU fines 11 airlines 800 million euros for air cargo cartel
Be fit, have fewer colds: study
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Weekend Edition
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo!
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Entertainment
Photos
Yahoo! News Network
Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Saturday, 13 November 2010 Suicide car bomb targets foreign troops in Kabul
Some 200,000 at risk of cholera in Haiti, U.N. says
|
James Murdoch says apps cannibalize newspapers
Russia's quarterly growth slows sharply due to drought
Qantas plane turns back after engine problem: report
|
Asian Games open with China set to dominate
Mexico hunting 12-year-old drug gang hitman
|
Lebanon gives absent Islamist leader life sentence
|
Nigeria will report Iran if arms broke U.N. sanctions
|
'Breakthrough' ceremony opens Asian Games
Chinese vase fetches record 69 million dollars in Britain
N.Korea 'giving nuclear material to Iran, Syria'
Laos summit sets targets on cluster bombs
UN refugee agency signals more fighting in Myanmar
Acer, Ferrari unveil joint smartphone model
|
Finnish state church sanctions prayer for gay marriages
China's Hu makes first Japan visit since island row
Cyprus tourism income spikes 10 percent in September: data
Newsweek and Daily Beast agree merger
|
Chinese dissident's release urged at peace summit
"Garfield" creator apologizes for Veterans Day strip
Fund manager Heebner turns back on Apple
|
"Deathly Hallows" conjures up holiday movie season
Japan's Mizuho to buy BlackRock stake, sees profits soar
India's Power Grid issue oversubscribed nearly 15 times
India's Tata Steel turns Q2 net profit
Nvidia eyes higher sales, talks up Tegra
|
Orlando Bloom, Beth Ditto win German Bambi awards
|
Palin's email hacker gets one year in jail: US court
Newsweek, Daily Beast in old-new media marriage
WikiLeaks registers company in Iceland
US-TECH Summary
Nvidia eyes higher sales, talks up Tegra
Newsweek and Daily Beast agree merger
Acer, Ferrari unveil joint smartphone model
EU accepts Iran talks offer, suggests venue
EU official calls Roma's situation in Europe 'scandalous'
Junta silent as Myanmar awaits Suu Kyi release
|
Oracle case winds down without HP CEO
Maliki faces dispute over Iraqi power-sharing deal
Taliban attack airport, base in east Afghanistan
|
Zsa Zsa Gabor rushed to hospital for blood clot
Nigeria will report Iran if arms broke U.N. sanctions
Basque separatist leader renews 'rejection of violence'
Google and Facebook rivalry takes centerstage
Britain launches fresh drive on tax havens
Conan O'Brien Averages Nearly 3 Million Viewers For First Week Of "Conan"
U.N. council gets Sudan report that infuriated China
|
Cisco hires former Apple executive Papermaster
After Fed boost, global woes hit Wall Street
Russia says open to missile defence cooperation with NATO
U.N. council gets Sudan report that infuriated China
Commodities Prices Fall On Chinese Interest Rates Fears
Facebook to revamp messaging service: source
'Naked' airport scanners may be 'dangerous'
Japan protesters rally during China's Hu visit
|
Supreme Court Allows Military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy to Continue
Radical Lebanon cleric Omar Bakri jailed for life
Obama mounts strong defence of US economic policy
Experts Predict Republican Opposition to Health Care Reform Law
Newsweek, Daily Beast in old-new media marriage
Pirates hijack ship with 29 Chinese sailors: report
|
Lebanon gives absent Islamist leader life sentence
Ireland has not asked for EU bailout: Juncker
Palin Email Hacker Gets 366 Days In Jail
Facebook may be poised to launch email service
First Debate Of 2012 White House Race Set For Next Spring
Afghan officials: Kabul attack kills 1, wounds 2
Fund manager Heebner turns back on Apple
North Korea is building light-water reactor: report
|
NYC Man Sues Former Landlords For $21M After A/C Unit Falls On Head
Hispanics Decry Tennessee Lawmaker's "Rats" Comment
Mexico hunting 12-year-old drug gang hitman
|
Tennessee hacker of Sarah Palin's e-mail sentenced
Higher Corn Prices Mean Higher Turkey Prices As T-Day Approaches
Tight race in Guinea run-off as full results delayed
|
Obama makes free trade push at Pacific Rim summit
French rail sorry for deporting Jews to Nazi camps
China 'lays down gauntlet' at Asian Games
Pirates seize ship with 29 Chinese sailors aboard: Xinhua
DiCaprio attacker pleads no contest to assault
Pacquiao hopes to extend legacy, streak against Margarito
Female directors absent on Forbes Hollywood list
U.S. high court declines to lift military ban on gays
Aquino welcomes Philippine credit rating hike
Global minimum and maximum temperatures
China-US spat hobbles G20 push on world economy
Philippines appeals to Myanmar ahead of Suu Kyi release
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Google and Facebook rivalry takes centerstage
|
Chinese premier due in Macau for economic forum
Justin Bieber's new song, "Pray", debuts online
Suu Kyi supporters hope, pray for her freedom
Facebook to revamp messaging service: source
|
DiCaprio attacker pleads no contest to assault
Toll from volatile Indonesian volcano rises to 240
Zsa Zsa Gabor hospitalized with blood clot
Oracle case winds down without HP CEO
|
Chili Peppers dig up roots in "Oral/Visual History"
Cisco hires former Apple executive Papermaster
|
Big sales projected for Michael Jackson album
Sarah Palin gets down and dirty in new TV show
Argentina, China shore up trade relations
Eastern Europe's first science centre wows in Poland
Cruise ship tourists back in Cuba after 3-year slump
Female directors absent on Forbes Hollywood list
DiCaprio attacker pleads no contest to assault
|
Zsa Zsa Gabor hospitalized with blood clot
|
Justin Bieber's new song, Pray, debuts online
|
Sarah Palin gets down and dirty in new TV show
|
Chili Peppers dig up roots in Oral/Visual History
|
Deathly Hallows conjures up holiday movie season
|
Female directors absent on Forbes Hollywood list
|
Airbase attacked, 10 killed in Afghan market bombing
Taliban attack NATO base in east Afghanistan
Taliban mount series of attacks in Afghanistan
|
Saudi king delegates deputy PM to oversee Hajj
Iraq's Allawi: power-sharing deal is dead
|
Militants assault NATO base in eastern Afghanistan
Japan and China leaders aim to cool tensions
|
U.S. Briefed Pakistan Indian U.N. Endorsement
Violence in Bangladesh as ex-PM ordered from home
|
U.S. Hails Democracy In Iraq As Religious, Zonal Factions Get Active
Militants try to assault eastern Afghan airport
Pentagon Shaken, Secretary Condemns DADT Review Leak, Orders Probe
Militants battle Afghan forces in east
Nigerian military threatens action in delta
|
Race tightens in Guinea presidential run-off
|
US presence in Asia vital: Japan
US drone strike 'kills four militants in Pakistan'
Germany lifts passenger flight ban from Yemen
|
Myanmar frees democracy icon Suu Kyi
China to speed rare earth exports to Japan
UK holiday camp company goes into administration
Japan PM protests Kurils visit in Medvedev talks
Indonesia volcano death toll rises to 240
Medvedev seeks to strengthen dialogue with Japan
UN chief hails 'inspiration' Aung San Suu Kyi
China rebuffs US pressure at Asian economic summit
Japanese scientists arrive to aid Indonesian volcanologists
US looking for progress on yuan by January
Don't ask too much of emerging economies, says China's Hu
Russia, Japan, China firms in massive fertiliser deal
Japan to open economy after lagging behind on free trade: PM
Aquino welcomes Philippine credit rating hike
Chinese leader vows open trade, stable currency
After G-20 rancor, Pac Rim leaders push free trade
Hu: China to keep open trade, keep currency stable
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights