Long range vision marked the mid-November summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Jakarta, Indonesia. apec called upon its industrialised members and other developing members to remove trade and investment barriers by ad 2010 and 2020 respectively.

However, observers say that more significant was the commitment of 18 nations to continue dialogue. By calling for a detailed blueprint for regional liberalisation before the next summit in 1995 in Osaka, Japan, apec leaders have obliged themselves to produce some useful short-term results. The only alternative would be a political face-loss.