APEC and Quad Ministerial Meetings

At the end of this May, APEC and Quad ministerial meetings were held. The content and outcomes of both of these events reflected current political problems and trends in the Indo-Pacific region.

Political Issues at the APEC forum

The APEC forum was established at the end of the Cold War, when political problems dividing countries seemed to fade into the background due to the “end of history.” It was assumed that humanity would then focus entirely on trade and economic issues, which would be resolved in accordance with the provisions of the Washington Consensus formulated at that time.

However, already in the 2000s, the latter proved to be completely counterproductive, mainly due to the “resumption of history.” This was because both the emergence of a new global power (China) and the prospect of the so-called Thucydides Trap (about which so much has been said recently) materializing, became apparent. The resumption of the historical process and new global political challenges appearing had a negative impact on the trade and economic sphere of interstate relations.

Rising political tensions in the relations between the two main APEC participants, the United States and China, did not spare this seemingly purely economic platform either. For example, on the eve of last year’s APEC Summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, the issue of naming the Taiwanese delegation caused a serious scandal. The island’s correct designation was a precondition from China. Commentary on this event draws attention to the implicit presence of the Taiwan issue among topics........

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