I deeply appreciated PECC to invite youth delegates to the general meeting. It gives us opportunities to see how an international organization operates and witness the great leadership undertaken to move forward the agenda.

We youth delegates have the chance to sit together with delegates and speakers from all economies during lunch and dinner after participating the sessions, so that we could talk with them closely and have their feedback directly. They are all very positive, welcoming and encouraging to our participation. Knowing that there are so many professionals, government officials and organizations working on the trading issues, I understand how the cooperation takes place and value more how economic cooperation could achieve.

The local host for youth delegate program as well as the PECC secretariat is considerate and helpful during our visit in DC.

It has been a great pleasure for me to participate in the XX PECC General Meeting and youth program as a youth delegate from Chinese Taipei. I would like to thank the efforts and hospitality of the international secretariat of PECC and USAPC in organizing these events, and I have learned a lot from them.

It is my first time to participate in a PECC meeting and visit Washington, DC. It has been a great opportunity for me to observe the procession of an international meeting, and skills used by delegates for communication and negotiation. I also had the chance to know youth delegates from other economies and exchanged views over various issues during our working time.

The speakers invited by PECC all have great experiences in international affairs. I was impressed by the speech of Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell for his candid description of US-China relations. It is indeed essential to build mutual trust mechanism between major powers in order to maintain regional peace and development.

I participated in the second concurrent session with the theme of discussing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). I think this proposal is overlapping with the functions of APEC and FTAAP, so its feasibility is still under assessment since no major power has taken active measures to make it move forward.

The youth program provided me with a great opportunity to visit famous historical and cultural sites in DC, such as the White House, the Capital, Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Memorial. I was deeply touched by the spirit of the US democracy and freedom as well as the wisdom and brevity by those great people in pursuance of the dreams.

The issue of social inequality should be included in the future session agenda since this phenomenon is increasingly more common among regional economies. Members of PECC could work together to try to find measures to assist people in need.

It has been a great opportunity for me to participate in the XX PECC General Meeting and youth program. I would like to once again thank the organizer for the efforts and hospitality.

The Program I Enjoyed
The Youth Delegate Program of PECC is an annual event that offers selected young students from PECC’s member economies a valuable opportunity to attend its general meeting, discuss international issues with opinion-leaders, and share their insights and suggestions on special topics regarding regional cooperation. Apart from joining the general meeting, the youth delegates will also participate in other activities that will greatly enlighten them on international affairs.
The PECC Youth Delegate Program of 2011 was held in Washington DC, USA from September 27-30, in accordance with PECC 20th General Meeting. 14 youth delegates from Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Malaysia, Korea and New Zealand joined the meeting. The program schedule offered was tight but interesting which I personally enjoyed very much.

Sept. 27th:
Most of the youth delegates arrived in the afternoon and we had a good time together in the welcome reception where we first got to know each other and became friends.

Sept. 28th:
In the morning, we visited the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University to attend a book launch event of Strategic Asia, discussing Asia’s response to China and India’s rise. Four speakers explicitly explained their studies and opinions from four different perspectives, namely the United States, Japan, South Asia and Australia. Though each of them spoke briefly, the speeches still granted me a general overview of the various situation and dilemma countries were facing which once again corresponded to the balance of power in international relations. All of them talked frankly and seriously, making the argument more critical and convincing.

We had our lunch back in the Madison Hotel and mingled with representatives from other economies. Later in the afternoon, PECC arranged a short Washington tour for us to let us feel the city in a more tangible way. We visited the White House, Capitol Hill, Martin Luther King Memorial and Lincoln’s Memorial. Once again, dinner was the perfect networking time for us to know new people and new things, and this was certainly the part that I truly loved because I got to learn so many interesting things through talking with people.

Sept. 29th:
This was definitely the big day of the program when the PECC plenary and concurrent sessions were held. There were in total three plenary sessions and three concurrent sessions. Youth delegates could attend all the plenary sessions, but had to choose one among the three concurrent sessions. The sessions were very informative with prestigious speakers exchanging opinions on topics including Asia Pacific regional outlook, regional dynamics and future economic cooperation. I attended the concurrent session on trade in services across regions. This was totally a new area for me and it did cost me some time to fully understand what the speakers were talking about since some jargons and treaties were simply complicated to comprehend at first. Among all the speeches, I especially enjoyed the speech by Mr. Narongchai Akrasanee who used very easy and understandable terms to explain the emergence and development of ASEAN +3. I surely believe that more speakers like Mr. Narongchai are needed to convey these important messages to the general public so that even ordinary people can know what is happening around the world and really get involved in the decision process. I was also really grateful that Mr. Morrison could gave me the chance to ask questions on the uniqueness and synergies of ASEAN +3 and East Asia Summit to unravel the doubt that I had pondered for a long time.

In the evening after the meeting, youth delegates had dinner in East-West Center and we worked on the youth delegate reports that we would deliver to the standing committee the next day. The reports were not professional or technical analysis of current issues, but more like a comment to the meeting and the current regional cooperation model. Our group suggested that regional organizations should maintain a high level of transparency and information efficiency to the general public and the effectiveness of each cooperating platform should be examined to ensure the non-overlapping efforts of each institution.
We were all exhausted after the working dinner, and the fact that I would be leaving tomorrow certainly depressed me even more.

Sept. 30th:
The youth delegates delivered the reports to the standing committee and exchanged their viewpoints on the program with economy representatives. The program ended around noon.

The People I Meet
The activities in the Youth Delegate Program were undoubtedly fruitful, but the people I met during this trip were actually the greatest treasure I gained. It is these people that allow me to see this world as a more complete picture and broaden my horizons. I would really love to quote a sentence Grace wrote to me in an e-mail: “If I’ve learned anything from this city, it is the personal people-to-people connections that can really drive international/economic relations!” True. People are the ones that come up with all those great ideas and connections are the tool to bring excellent ideas into reality.

A Real Lobbyist
During the dinner on the first day, I met Michael, a first real Congress lobbyist I met face to face. I don’t know if you can understand the amazing feeling when something that you once only read in the textbook suddenly appears in your real life. I first encountered the word “lobbyist” while taking my IR course where lobbyists were a group of mysterious people that I only had a vague concept of. I knew that their duty was to persuade Congressmen to vote in the interest of a special group, but I never learnt how this thing was going to work out. Michael explained to me the process of this job and the challenges he faced. Networking was definitely an important part of his life; whenever and wherever he went, talking to others and making friends were on his priority list. It was an interesting job at first when you could actually meet people from different backgrounds with various positions. However, it would gradually turn out time-consuming and tiring when you had to do this work continuously and in an extremely high frequency. Since the Congress would re-elect every two years, Michael would always find himself in a disaster when numerous new members appeared in the scene. As being said, this was simply life and you got to keep on walking.

The Consul “Tortured” by Examination
Mr. Fernandez was the consul of the Philippines in Washington DC. He spent 8 years in the United States before university and returned back to Manila to start his undergraduate program. We talked about foreign ministry entrance criteria during the dinner and I was quite surprised that the Philippines also had such a competitive environment where only very limited people were chosen from an unimaginable huge pool. Similar to China, students who wanted to get in to the foreign ministry in the Philippines should also take a test, both writing and oral. The exam was not easy and Mr. Fernandez still remembered his nervousness when he entered into the final round, when he was required to make an improvisational speech on a given topic for five minutes during the dinner party. Luckily, he was the fortunate. Later, we also came across the Philippine maids in Hong Kong, nearly most of whom had got an undergraduate degree back in the Philippines! Mr. Fernandez attributed this to the high unemployment and instability back at home, a problem the government was trying to resolve. Proud of the recent stability created by the new government, Mr. Fernandez was optimistic that the Philippines would meet a round of growth.

“Oh, You Are from CHINA!”
Getting to know Honruia, the Ethiopian hotel attendant, was by no means in my schedule. That afternoon, she knocked at our door, asking if we need our tea and coffee bag refilled. Karin and I let her in and went back to the previous topic, chatting merrily in Mandarin. While rearranging the tea bag, Honruia turned around and smiled: “You guys are from China, right?” Amazed, we asked her why. With slight African accent, she told us her brother’s wife was actually from China and she knew how Mandarin sounded. Even more curious, I started chatting with her.

Honruia was originally from a rich family in Ethiopia, though the country was poor. She got married early and had a child when she was around 17. She did not have the opportunity to go to school in Ethiopia. Imagining receiving higher education and freedom in the United States, Honruia filed the application for Diversity Visa Lottery Program under Bill Clinton’s reign. Luckily as she was, she began her adventure in US alone with the baby she just had. Honruia was in total disappointment when she eventually landed on the ground where she thought she would be sponsored for education and rounded social welfare, discovering that the only thing she could do here was to start working. Seeing the reality, Honruia began her work as a cashier and later got her present job which paid much better. Life was not easy for herself, not to say raising a vulnerable baby. 18 years later, her son grew up and attended university in the United States. “Have you ever thought about returning home?” “No. Well, you know, people always want more. In America, you need money for everything. My child needs money for tuition and you always want to give the best to him. It’s a cycle and you can’t escape.” Honruia replied with some kind of painfulness. At that moment, I did not know how to reply other than saying “Right, I see.”

Talking about her brother’s business in China, Honruia’s face suddenly lit up and she got back to the merry mood. Her brother went to university in China and is now doing business of cloth with China in Ethiopia. The firm was quite successful and its clients were soaring. His wife, the Chinese girl, went to Ethiopia with him, adapting to a whole new life in Africa. She still speaks Mandarin when talking to her family members in China and Honruia was meanwhile impressed by all those strange sounds of this esoteric language. She would say China was a great place and growing power, even though she had never been to China herself.

Before stepping out of the room, Honruia said she might consider join her brother’s business later if it was still good. Well, I guess that “later” would hardly be a time in the near future.

The Woman and The General
Mr. Nairongchai was of course the popular star of the general meeting. Using humorous tone, he successfully alleviated the depressing atmosphere in the audience. What impressed me the most was when he talked about the political situation in Thailand and Myanmar in which he used tension between a woman and a general to depict the reality. In Thailand, it was the general that wanted to control the woman and the woman had to compromise to maintain peace, while in Myanmar it was just the opposite. Though he never mentioned the names of these people, everyone burst out laughing, knowing the exact persons he was referring to. It was this kind of humorous satire that eased the air in the room. Mr. Nairongchai was also a very amiable person in daily life. In the last day of the meeting, he gladly accepted our request to take photo with him and once again emphasized that he was only using a facetious tone to convey a real serious situation which was worth noticing.

With Same Passion and Vision
I am really grateful that I could meet so many young people just like me in Washington, not only the youth delegates, but also Grace and Drew from East-West Center. We are all passionate about international relations and the well being of the human society. We have the same vision in our mind that the world will become much better if only our generation work together for the goal. To me, Washington DC was the exact place where everything became real in your life and it was also the place perfect for IR and politics with all those institutions and famous universities scattered around. It was the people connection that made things happen and truly made a difference in this world. Nara, the youth delegate from Japan, said to me when we departed: “Angela, we will meet in Washington again!” Yeah, I think so too.

The Things I Learn
All of the speeches during the meeting were very informative and I indeed gained a lot from them, acquiring a better and clearer understanding toward some regional issues like cooperation mechanism and dilemmas we were in. Joining the last day standing committee meeting demystified how a regional cooperation platform actually worked. This meeting process was actually similar to what we had in our daily life, rather than mysterious and hidden. The meeting would have an agenda before hand and would follow the agenda during the process. On each topic, member economies would express their views freely and discuss to reach a consensus or conclusion under the direction and coordination of the chairs. I also learnt a lot from my peer, the other youth delegates, on their own cultures, education system and vision for the future. This was such an excellent opportunity where you could talk with people who had the same care for this world. You shared the identical concerns and tried to make the world a better place.

The Issues I Ponder
The program also inspired me to ponder on some issues that I had never thought about, namely the synergy among regional cooperation organizations/platforms and the voices of developing countries. As we all know, there are numerous regional cooperation platforms in Asia Pacific region with various combination of nation states. The most commonly heard are the APEC, ASEAN and EAS. Some of these platforms have very similar member states and minor differences in functions. So the doubt arises here is in what way can these organizations perfectly complement and support each other in a non-overlapping way. In the answer to my question raised in the general meeting, Mr. Jusuf Wanandi had explained the mechanism between ASEAN +3 and the EAS, but the connections between other platforms are still vague and confusing to the general public. In my opinion, examining the synergy among these regional organizations is a very important task to make sure that all of these established efforts receive equal attention by countries. If one platform turns out to be less crucial in the connection, it is reasonable for countries to divert their efforts into more robust institutions to secure their interests, thus reducing the efficiency of the original one. We have to ensure that each platform has its own contribution to the greater picture of regional integration. The synergy within is to be explained to country leaders for decision making. This effort will also accelerate the integration of the region by joining hands with various platforms. Otherwise, the Asia-Pacific region is still full of relatively independent organizations scattering around.

During the standing committee meeting on the last day, I discovered a pretty interesting phenomenon: most of the economies that spoke up to actively engage in the dialogue were developed economies in the Pacific region, such as the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. I rarely heard voices from developing countries unless asked by the chairs. I was not sure if it was because those silent countries did not attach much importance to PECC or it was simply due to their total agreement with the speakers. I was really eager to hear more from the developing economies since most of the current international relation frameworks were based in a western model and voices of developing countries are likely to reflect the deficit of the prevailing practices.

Conclusion
The setting sun spread its last glory on the Potomac River when the taxi ran across the bridge to the Dulles Airport. Feeling the last breeze in this amazing city, I silently watched all those scenes passing in front of me with rapture, reluctant to end the journey. This Washington trip is definitely one of my most unforgettable memories in my life where I encountered those fantastic people who broadened my horizons and experienced the charm of this politic city where Mr. President resides.

This trip is extremely meaningful and rewarding that I have gained and learnt a lot. The journey is not just about seeing and experiencing new things, more importantly, it has challenged my existing world-view and inspired me to take new perspectives and visions.

The experience to be an active participant of such a major international event is remarkable. Washington D.C. is definitely a magnet to people who are interested in politics and international affairs. As a former student of the European Studies Programme, I have acquired essential knowledge on inter-governmental cooperation and integration. During my period of study I was also given the chance to visit the European Parliament and some other major European Union institutions. It is, however, during this trip that I could actually involve in the real event. The abstract materials in the textbooks have become concrete details and tangible figures. During the coffee breaks and luncheon, for example, we, the youth delegates, would be able to meet and communicate with officials, intellectuals, businessmen, as well as lobbies from various countries. These direct involvements have greatly enhanced my understanding of the actual operation of the economic cooperation platform on the trans-regional level. After this trip, I have become more familiar with and sensitive to issues and news related to APEC, the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN, and other institutions seeking to promote growth and cooperation in the Asian-Pacific region.

On the other hand, it is through the dynamics and diversity of the youth delegation that I was able to learn different perspectives and opinions of bright peers of the same generation in the region. While I have personal friends from other Asian countries, such as Japan, Korea, and Singapore, it is rare for us to discuss broader political and economic issues. During the working dinner in which we worked on the reports to be presented to the standing committee of PECC, I had the chance to listen to their views on issues such as the rise of China, the prospect of the Asian-Pacific region, and the future relationship with the US. It is encouraging to find out that, given the sheer variance across the region, there is in fact a certain sense of unity in diversity among the youth delegates, as most of us agreed that Asia should has its own voices and visions vis-à-vis its Western counterparts, particularly the US.

This trip also enhanced my understanding of the US as I have never been to the country before. Even though Europe and the US are both ‘Western’ powers, they are still very different from each other. While I am familiar with the European context, I have never had direct contact with the American society. When I strolled in Washington, the sheer diversity and the spacious environment of the city struck me. The guided tour arranged by the organizer inspired me to reflect on the American values and traditions. The tour guide explained the essence of the American democracy when we visited the White House and the Capitol Hill. She also told us the story behind the establishment of the Smithsonian Museums as the donor believed in the American dream in which people may succeed in this new land regardless of their own backgrounds if they work hard enough. The visit to the newly-inaugurated Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial reminded me the path to freedom and equality is full of struggles and pains.

I have realized after this trip that there are in fact many different opportunities and possibilities for me to discover. This extraordinary experience has encouraged me to consider studying and working in the field of international affairs. It also reminded me the urgent need to reflect on the recent rise of the Asian-Pacific region and utilize my potentials accordingly to respond to this development. I believe that we, the young generation, should not be afraid of expressing our own voices and striving for our own visions as the future depends on our determination.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
- Martin Luther King -

Introduction

On September 28, 2011, I’ve participated in the 20th Pacific Economic Corporation Council (PECC) General Meeting held at Washington D.C. as a youth delegate for Malaysia. Delegates from about 20 economies of the Pacific region attended this event, while youth delegates from 6 economies came to represent their respective delegations. The 20th PECC General Meeting lasted for 3 days, and ended on September 30th, 2011.

Participation and Activities

On the first day, I and other youth delegates attended the Strategic Asia 2011-12: Asia Responds to Its Rising Powers-China and India seminar organized by the National Bureau of Asian Research held at the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Later that day, we were taken around Washington D.C. for a guided tour.

On September 29, I attended the General Meeting entitled ‘State of The Region’ at the Madison Hotel. I had the opportunity to listen to various important people sharing their knowledge and ideas on overcoming the fiscal situation in the Pacific and American region. The opening address was given by Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell. He stressed on the initiatives that the United States would take in having a bigger impact and involvement with PECC. During a luncheon that day, Under Secretary of Commerce Francisco Sachez presented his views about the current economical situation that the United States is facing and explained about the steps initiated by the Obama administration to recover from current fiscal crisis. Later I attended a concurrent session called ‘The Trans-Pacific Partneship: Views from the Inside and Outside’. During this session, a lot issues regarding China’s and Japan’s involvement in trading partnership were brought up, and representatives from both economies gave their opinions on generating trading initiatives. After dinner, I joined the other youth delegates to prepare a report to be presented on the next day regarding PECC and our views about the issues being brought up during the meeting.

On the final day, I participated in the Standing Committee Meeting to present our report.

Reflections

All in all, I am very grateful to be given an opportunity to be a part of the PECC General Meeting. During this 3-day event, I got to meet various people, talk to important figures like former prime minister of New Zealand Michael Moore, and hear about their ideas and advise. Such opportunities are very rare, and I really treasure it. Despite all the economical jargons that I am not familiar with, I think that having the youth delegate to be a part of the meeting is a great move to educate the younger generation about trans-continental trading and economical issues. Such programs would shorten the knowledge gap between the younger generation and policy makers who are of the older generation, and thus enabling better understanding of current issues faced and future implementations or consequences.
I truly hope that the younger generation could be even more involved in other decision-making processes, with the guidance, as we would be the future of any nation. I also hope that there would be a chance for youth delegates to attend the APEC Summit, which would be held in Honolulu soon, as discussion on issues presented during PECC General Meeting would be raised at the Summit, so I hope to follow up on those issues to widen my knowledge in those matters.

Prepared by youth delegates Alex Chun Yun Yeung (HK) and Sung-hye Kang (KO)
29September2011

Introduction

The 20th PECC general meeting was yet another solid proof of PECC’s influential role as the platform for open, free-flowing debate on Asia-Pacific regional cooperation and developmental sustainability issues. We as a group of student delegates, after three valuable days of close interaction with various PECC personnel, have gained knowledge on the political and economical situations in the region, the opportunities that could be utilized and the problems that needed to be solved. More importantly, we have gained far better understanding on the crucial role of PECC in promoting a more integrated Asia Pacific. The 20th PECC general meeting had been an eye-opening learning opportunity for us. We really appreciate PECC for inviting us to take part in this meaningful event.

The following paragraphs would focus on two sessions of the general meeting, what they are about and how we feel about them. The first one is “Path towards Inclusive Growth” and the second one is “Future of Regional Economic Cooperation”.

“Path to Inclusive Growth”

We, as student delegates, have much concern on the topic of inclusive growth. Even though we might come from so-called wealthy or developed economies, we can still see great income inequalities in our societies. Thus, we were very eager to hear from PECC professionals on what could be done to create equal opportunities for people in the region to benefit from Asia Pacific economic growth.

The speakers did not disappoint us at all. We learned about how social safety nets could foster an environment for people to thrive as they became freed from financial doubts that greatly burdened them before, like medical costs. We were then reminded about the importance of developing an economy’s education and infrastructure system, the two backbones for economies to stay business-friendly and competitive. There was an inspiring moment when we combined the two ideas together and found that they more or less summed up the main reasons of income inequalities in developing countries; lack of social safety, poor education and infrastructure. We wondered if efforts could be made in these areas to help economies develop. Towards the end of the session, we listened to two more presentations by professors from China and Japan which also offered good insight to the problem. Overall, it had been a great session and we only have one really humble suggestion to PECC. We believe that inclusive growth is an important issue that should be addressed with much attention even in the early stage of economic development. Thus, we sincerely hope that this issue could be highlighted more often in the plenary sessions such that public awareness could be drawn to it. This is in line with the aims of PECC as it has never been an organization satisfied with sheer economic growth but one that is concerned about peoples’ livings as well.

“Future of Regional Economic Cooperation”

The last plenary session of the conference has been a really interesting one, as we heard about the roles of various international organizations in the Asia Pacific regions, their history of development and future goals. It was exciting to look at the way these huge organizations, although given their significantly different economy composition and culture background, could still cooperate well with each other. The session also included brief updates on political and economical situations in the regions which quite broadened our horizon. The remark from co-chair Mr. Wanandi left us a really great impression as he reminded us that although power and wealth may shift, it should always be a collective effort between economies to maintain Asia Pacific regional stability and sustainable economic growth instead of one economy dominating the whole decision-making process. Mr. Wanandi had been very true as that would be the only way peoples’ wills across the whole region could be fairly considered.

The 20th PECC general meeting had been an eye-opening experience for everyone of us as we seldom have the chance to attend an international conference with such a large scale; not only did we gain knowledge on regional economical and political issues, but being student delegates coming from different parts of the world, we also enriched our global understanding as we made friends with each other. After experiencing it ourselves, we certainly hope that PECC would continue inviting students to their future general meetings. Lastly, do allow us to make use of this opportunity to wish the best of luck to PECC in all its future endeavors. Thank you.

Dear SINCPEC members,

I am writing to extend my deepest sympathies at this most difficult time. Vietnam National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (VNCPEC) and I personally are so sad to hear that Prof. Tan Teck Meng had passed away.

We feel that we lost a very good friend as well as a colleague.

Please kindly pass our sincerest condolences on to his family.

Sincerely,

Dr. Vu Tien Loc
Chair
Vietnam National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation

Dear PECC Colleagues:

I just learned the sad news that Prof. Tan Teck Meng passed away, while I am still traveling in the US on business. How belated this is, I would like to express my condolences over his passing. He was a respectable fellow colleague at PECC and a common friend. I recall in particular when we met from time to time for the cause of PECC Special Fund Trust and in many other functions of PECC. His wit, wisdom, always expressed in a calm and scholarly manner which had helped us with ongoing discussions and deliberations, as well as the warmth for fellow colleagues have been a vivid remembrance.

The loss of Prof. Tan, with over-a-decade-long contribution to SINCPEC, is immeasurable. I missed him and my prayers go to him. Although I could not join his family and friends in paying homage in the memorial service which just passed, may I say that God bless him and that his soul rest in peace.

With deepest personal sympathies,

Nelson An-ping Chang
Vice Chair
CTPECC

Dear Dr. Tan Khee Giap,

As a member committee of PECC, I wish to convey to you my feeling of profound sorrow for the loss of Professor Tan Teck Meng.

His absence will surely be missed by PECC member committees, especially by those who have worked closely with him.
Please extend my condolence and sympathy to his family and friends.

Sincerely,

Yoshiji Nogami
Chair of JANCPEC