The Evolution of PECC: The First 25 Years (review)

Began as a sentimental journey of PECC founders and veterans, a Korean ad hoc spirit of voluntarism organized people and discussions to bring out this twenty-fifth anniversary book project. As tripartite as PECC, joined by Australian and Indonesian "old hands", nine chapters have the usual anniversary aims, no less the twenty-fifth.

As a PECC worker in the 1980s and 1990s with both fondness and understanding of the environment under which PECC was founded and evolved, some disappointment remains. It is not meant as a critique, but as a hope for another thirtieth anniversary volume as the review finds the effort is as salutary as teasingly unsatisfying.

Various authors, not edited, whether because of time and workload as the bane of pro bono work, or the accomplished team is self-sufficient, the same groove with origins and history may be sentimental consensual or offer various points of views. Readers, be they policy-makers, business people, students, fellow academicians and researchers are overdosed on the prologue, not quite satiated in whatever they are looking for in an anniversary book of this nature.

Andrew Elek starts off with some before and after, all roads lead to Canberra in 1980 and thereafter, in venue, people and substance contributed to the think-tank. The 1980 Canberra seminar probed precedents like the Pacific Trade and Development (PAFTAD), the Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC) and Japanese Prime Minister Ohira's impetus for a co-operation group as background.

Throughout the Pacific Economic Cooperation Conferences, 1982 to 1992, the ardent and the sceptic alike cautioned the Pacific Cooperation Committee (PCC) to "hasten slowly". With the truly tripartite government-driven Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) by 1989, the PECC maximized its observer role to supplement and complement, firmed up in the PECC's Trade Policy Forum. As a sample or pilot, technical case studies by PECC's more academic resources is a logical extension.

The ever-changing world prevails, despite the chemistry of APEC-PECC common denominators in people and ideas. It is neither smooth nor predestined for APEC or PECC; witness the tumultuous financial crisis and thereafter, both equally remiss and negligent in seeing its lead-up.

More than an East Asia product or a concert of power, the PECC is no longer a champion with competition in definition of agenda and region. Elek's renewal call for the PECC stems from three main challenges to put PECC back on the map, realign PECC-APEC relationship with the East Asian community evolving and reshape PECC's intrinsic identity and co-operation modality.

Mark Borthwick similarly builds the momentum prior to 1980, from as early as the Institute of Pacific Relations in 1925 to the 1967 Pacific Free Trade Area (PAFTA), Kiyoshi Kojima conference and succession of PAFTAD conferences. They served as training ground for young technocrats and leaders.

Since 1962, Japanese-Australian bilateral meetings led to PBEC and PAFTAD. Saburo Okita, Kojima with the Australian National University (ANU) forged the Organization for Pacific Trade and Development (OPTAD) and reached out to the United States. The 1970s was Asia-Pacific's golden age. Big power realignment with the end of the Cold War saw advocacy by other interest groups, governments feeling their way to Ohira's Pacific co-operation initiative which follows Japan-sponsored Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Soogil Young sees relevancy in PECC agenda, as an intellectual front of dedicated PECCians, tireless efforts to craft an ideal co-operation forum. But a loss of the PECC's pioneering productive pattern of study and discussion is noted due to issues and policies not shared by task forces and Standing Committee. General meetings search for lost purposes. Pacific statesmanship as owner of the production process and bearer of messages to government are two specific challenges to be revitalized on the twenty-fifth anniversary.

Andrew Elek's second chapter gives more on the two starting points of PECC and APEC both from Canberra. If one appreciates the Canberra birth pangs, the details...