By DIRK BEVERIDGE, AP Business Writer
HONG KONG (AP) -- Leaders from Asia and the Pacific rim have plenty of worries at a trade summit this week -- high oil prices, political and currency troubles, and opposition to globalization.
But unlike recent meetings, there aren't likely to be crowds of activists tearing up the streets over the issues being debated.
At the same time, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders don't anticipate any major deals to be struck. President Clinton will be in Brunei, but the lame-duck leader of the world's biggest economy will not seek any major trade deals.
The 21 economies that make up APEC are expected to push for a new round of talks by the World Trade Organization -- the Geneva-based body that sets global trade rules. And they will generally try to promote freer trade and economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region.
"The main issue is to have APEC keep on course and get the best from globalization," said George Troup, New Zealand's top APEC official. "We want to free up trade and investment, and to simplify customs controls, access, standards and paperwork."
The United States will press to launch fresh WTO talks but also plans to emphasize lesser goals, such as cooperation on using e-commerce to promote trade, said C. Lawrence Greenwood, the State Department official preparing the U.S. agenda for APEC.
U.S. and Chinese negotiators are expected to discuss clearing the final hurdles to admitting China as a member of the WTO -- a goal that seems imminent, but not quite in hand, after years of negotiations.
The WTO failed last year in Seattle to begin a new series of trade talks, with violent protests stealing the spotlight outside the conference and ministers failing to agree with one another on the inside. Since then, trade ministers have been unable to agree on formally starting new negotiations.
The APEC has set the goal of free trade among the region's developed nations by 2010 and among the developing nations by 2020.
But critics say that, unlike the European Union, APEC lacks the teeth to reach any big deals.
The diverse members of APEC, established in 1989, range from the United States, China and Japan to Peru, Vietnam and Papua New Guinea.:
