Professor Bob Buckle from New Zealand has been selected as the new Chair of the APEC Economic Committee starting in 2007.
An award wining economist and Principal Advisor at the New Zealand Treasury, Professor Buckle said ensuring that APEC members engage in the regional economy will be one of the priorities of his work as Chair.
“As a policy advisor at the New Zealand Treasury, it is clear to me that no economy can afford to set domestic policy in a vacuum,” Professor Buckle said after being named as Chair.
“In a world that is becoming more globally connected, what your key trading partners do matters a great deal to your own economy's performance.”
Professor Buckle warned that trade barriers are not the only constraint to conducting business in the APEC region and the global economy.
“Behind-the-border conditions can have an equally significant impact on the ability of economies to trade with each other”, Professor Buckle said.
“Reducing behind-the-border barriers to trade, and promoting other forms of economic cooperation, will help to lift the growth performance of the region and contribute to greater regional integration.
“Both the reduction of trade barriers, and implementation of structural reforms that improve trading conditions within economies, will also enhance the region's ability to withstand adverse economic shocks, such as the recent increase in oil prices.”
With the Economic Committee mandated to coordinate structural reform activities across the APEC process, Professor Buckle said his goal would be to promote high-quality economic policy dialogue in APEC. This will facilitate well-targeted structural reforms within economies which will make it easier and more desirable to do business in the region.
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