At Asia-Pacific talks, 21 defend free trade

Rescuers search among the debris Sunday after 14 coaches of an overnight passenger train rolled off the track near Pukhrayan village in Uttar Pradesh state, India.
Rescuers search among the debris Sunday after 14 coaches of an overnight passenger train rolled off the track near Pukhrayan village in Uttar Pradesh state, India.

LIMA, Peru -- Leaders of 21 Asia-Pacific nations ended their annual summit Sunday with a call to resist trade protectionism after the victory of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum also closed with a joint pledge to work toward a sweeping new free-trade agreement that would include all 21 members as a path to "sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth."

"We reaffirm our commitment to keep our markets open and to fight against all forms of protectionism," the leaders of the forum's nations said in a joint statement.

The forum noted the "rising skepticism over trade" during an uneven recovery since the financial crisis and said "the benefits of trade and open markets need to be communicated to the wider public more effectively, emphasizing how trade promotes innovation, employment and higher living standards."

Speaking to journalists at the conclusion of the forum, Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said the main obstacle to free-trade agreements in Asia and around the world is the frustration felt by those left behind by globalization.

"Protectionism in reality is a reflection of tough economic conditions," said Kuczynski, the meeting's host.

Referring to Britain's vote to leave the European Union and Trump's election win in the U.S., he said those results highlighted the backlash against globalization in former industrial regions in the U.S. and Britain that contrasts with support for trade in more-prosperous urban areas and developing countries.

"This is an important point in recent economic history because of the outcome of various elections in very important countries that have reflected an anti-trade, anti-openness feeling," he said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he is keeping an open mind about Trump, who has railed against the North American Free Trade Agreement among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Trump has also opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership pact, a 12-nation trade deal that includes Canada, calling the agreement a "disaster" for jobs.

"We're not going to jump to any conclusion about what the incoming American administration is going to actually do," Trudeau said. "There's been a certain amount of things said. But at the same time we know that trade is good for the middle class and those working hard to join it."

Leaders of other nations said at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting that they might seek to modify the Trans-Pacific Partnership pact to make it more appealing to Trump or seek to implement it without the United States. But the statement issued at the close of the summit said the organization would also work toward adoption of a broader 21-nation pact favored by the Chinese government known as the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation statement also said the members would adhere to the carbon reduction goals set in Paris last year to address climate change, which they called a threat to food security and security.

Obama says he won't meddle

This was the last international summit for President Barack Obama, who told reporters on Sunday that the way to address income inequality and to create jobs is through crafting trade policy and agreements in ways that will increase exports to the Pacific Rim countries that make up a third of the world's population.

"When it comes to trade, I believe the answer is not to pull back," he said at his last overseas news conference. "The answer is to do trade right, making sure it has strong labor standards, strong environmental standards -- that it addresses ways in which workers and ordinary people can benefit rather than be harmed by global trade."

Questions about Trump trailed Obama throughout his trip as world leaders quizzed him on Trump's stances on trade, foreign policy and the NATO alliance. On his final day in Peru, Obama sought to reassure the leaders that their longstanding ties with the U.S. wouldn't falter under Trump.

Obama suggested that once he was out of office, he would uphold the tradition of ex-presidents stepping aside quietly to allow their successors space to govern. He praised former President George W. Bush, saying he "could not have been more gracious to me when I came in," and said he wanted to give Trump the same chance to pursue his agenda "without somebody popping off" at every turn.

However, "as an American citizen who cares deeply about our country, if there are issues that have less to do with the specifics of some legislative proposal or battle or go to core questions about our values and ideals, and if I think that it's necessary or helpful for me to defend those ideals, I'll examine it when it comes," Obama told reporters.

Yet Obama said he doesn't intend to become his successor's constant critic.

"My intention is to, certainly for the next two months, just finish my job," Obama said. "And then after that, to take Michelle on vacation, get some rest, spend time with my girls, and do some writing, do some thinking."

Asked whether Democrats in the Senate should follow Republicans' example of refusing to even consider a Trump Supreme Court nominee, Obama said they should not.

"You give them a hearing," said Obama, whose own Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, has lingered for more than half a year due to the GOP's insistence that U.S. voters deserved a chance to weigh in on the direction of the high court. "That's not why the American people send us to Washington, to play those games."

He declined to weigh in explicitly on whether House Democrats should stick with Rep. Nancy Pelosi as minority leader, arguing it was improper to meddle in the vote. But he said of the California Democrat, who faces a challenge for the leadership post: "I cannot speak highly enough of Nancy Pelosi."

Obama's remarks came as he concluded his final world tour as president. He said he'd avoided ethical scandals by trying to follow the spirit, not just the letter, of the law, and suggested Trump would be wise to follow his example about conflicts of interest. Though he declined to explicitly advise Trump on his finances, Obama said he'd been served well by selling his assets and investing them in Treasury bills.

"It simplified my life," Obama said. "I did not have to worry about the complexities of whether a decision that I made might even inadvertently benefit me."

Trump has chosen to put his business interests into a blind trust entrusted to his children, who are playing major roles in helping him form his administration.

Short talk with Putin

Obama also chatted with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday about Ukraine and the Syria crisis.

The four-minute discussion, which a White House official described as "brief and informal," represented the first time the leaders had spoken in person since the Group of 20 convened in China in September.

Obama and Putin delved into topics that included their disagreements over Ukraine and Russia's support for the Syrian government in the civil war, where the rebel-held enclave of eastern Aleppo has been under daily aerial assault for nearly a week.

"Beyond pleasantries, the president urged President Putin to uphold Russia's commitments under the Minsk agreements, underscoring the U.S. and our partners' commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic matters and was referring to a peace deal signed in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, to end the crisis in Ukraine.

"On Syria, the president noted the need for Secretary [of State John] Kerry and Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov to continue pursuing initiatives, together with the broader international community, to diminish the violence and alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people."

Dmitry Peskov, a Putin spokesman, said in a statement reported by the news agency Interfax, "The presidents expressed regret that it was not possible to make progress in Ukraine; however, it was pointed out that the remaining two months [before Obama's term ends] should be used for the continuation of the search for a Syrian settlement. In this context, they agreed that Lavrov and Kerry will continue contacts."

Putin, speaking later in Lima, said he and Obama had noted that while their working relationship had been difficult, they'd "always respected each other's positions -- and each other."

"I thanked him for the years of joint work, and said that at any time, if he considers it possible and will have the need and desire, we will be happy to see him in Russia," Putin said.

Obama also met one-on-one with Trudeau and with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Obama said he had conveyed his confidence to Turnbull that there would be "a strong handoff and continuity in the next administration."

Turnbull emphasized the views he shares with Obama, noting that "on trade we are quite of the same mind, on the importance of open markets." He added, looking at Obama, "We want America to succeed under the next president, just as it has succeeded under your leadership."

Information for this article was contributed by Ben Fox, Joshua Goodman, Josh Lederman, Darlene Superville, Vivian Salama and Jim Heintz of The Associated Press; and by Juliet Eilperin of The Washington Post.

A Section on 11/21/2016

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