Fourth Symposium(Greeting by Chairman)

Greetings from Mr. Hashimoto, Governor of Kochi Prefecture
the INAP 2002 Symposium


INAP representatives of the Port of Cebu in the Philippines, the Port of Colombo in Sri Lanka, the Port of Qingdao in China, the Port of Subic Bay, in the Philippines, the Port of Tanjun Perak in Indonesia, the Port of Kochi in Japan, the representatives of the Port of Iquique in Chile, who are attending the Symposium as observers, representatives from the Government of the Philippines, peoples from port related organizations and companies, and distinguished guests,

I am Daijiro Hashimoto, Governor of Kochi Prefecture in Japan.
It is my great pleasure that the 4th International Network of Affiliated Ports Symposium is being held here in Subic Bay Port the Philippines.

First of all, I am pleased to announce that Mr. Felicito C. Payumo, Chairman of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority has been elected as the new Chairman of INAP with the unanimous approval of the INAP General Assembly held yesterday.

On this particular occasion, on behalf of all INAP members, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Mr. Payumo and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority for their hard work in preparing for the Symposium.

With Mr. Payumo being elected as new Chairman of INAP, I am now the ex-chairman. I would, however, like to take a few moments to say some words as one of the founding members of INAP.

The International Network of Affiliated Ports was established in 1998 at a sister-port conference at the Port of Colombo in Sri Lanka as an international network of sister ports around the world. INAP aims to promote multi-layered and multi-lateral activities throughout its network to contribute to the development of the member ports and the regions they belong to.

INAP basically has three major objectives. Firstly, INAP desires to facilitate the internationalization of all member ports through the exchange of up-to-the-minute information on the shipping industry and economic conditions. Secondly, INAP hopes to promote economic growth and mutual understanding among member ports through economic and cultural exchanges between the regions each member port belongs to. Thirdly and as one of the ultimate objectives, INAP aims at contributing to the peace and stability of the world through
friendship and economic exchange activities.

Today, it is very sad to see wars and acts of terrors in some parts of the world. In this sense, I believe that INAP has a great responsibility
in contributing to world peace through friendship exchanges and cooperation.

In these times, globalization is proceeding at an unprecedented rate due to the rapid advancement of transportation and information
technology. Among the major regions of the world, Asia, especially East Asia, has undergone dramatic economic development. East Asia started its remarkable economic growth in the 1980s and 90s. Despite the economic crisis of 1997, East Asia showed economic growth of 7% in 2000, and now accounts for approximately 18% of all exports and 15% of all imports in the world.

One of the major elements that made East Asia such a success story is the fact that major international corporations such as auto manufacturers, IT-related companies, distributors, retailers, banks and other financial institutions, build their branch offices and factories in this region. Alongside them, local industries are also flourishing.

With the economic growth of East Asia, work sharing is proceeding beyond national boundaries, and the volume of trade within the region is also growing. It has been observed that an increasing number of people have become mobile inside and outside of East Asia, and as a result, countries are exhibiting greater interdependence and competition have increased in the region.

The trend towards globalization throughout the world explains this phenomenon. Equally important to note, are the efforts of each country in the East Asian region towards the decrease and elimination of trade and investment barriers. The ASEAN Free Trade Area is steadily growing, and the East Asian economy too, will definitely grow in the future.

However, we should understand that behind growth and globalization, we are facing serious challenges such as the ever-increasing gap between the haves and the have-nots and, unemployment and environmental issues. In order to continue sustainable development, countries
and regions in East Asia should address and solve these issues in co-operation and harmony with each other.

Turning our eyes to the shipping industry, the size of sea-going vessels is continuing to increase, although the number of ports that such large container vessels call at is limited. In order to cope with such changes, ports should keep up-to-date with developments in the shipping industry, carefully watching the trends so that they can take an important role in supporting the economic development of their regions.

In this sense, the role of INAP will be ever growing in the future. It is timely and significant that the INAP Symposium is held here in the Port of Subic Bay in the Philippines today, considering the fact that the Government of the Philippines, an important member of ASEAN, puts an
emphasis on economic co-operation with neighboring countries centered on AFTA(Asean Free Trade Area). Incidentally, when President Aroyo visited Japan in May, she proposed the establishment of a free trade agreement with the Japanese Government. The business circles in Japan pay attention to the Philippines with great interest and expectation.

The strategic importance of the Philippines is expressly symbolized by the fact that major businesses from all over the world have gathered at the Port of Subic Bay and Subic Special Economic and Freeport Zone where Subic International Airport is situated. For example, Federal Express, the world famous distribution company, locates its Asian hub here. The Port of Subic Bay forms a true international community.

Since ancient times, ports have been an important component of the infrastructure for communities throughout the world, serving as gateways through which people, products and information are disseminated. In the midst of the ever-changing world economy and shipping industry affairs, it would be my great pleasure if INAP can play an important role in the development of ports around the world in the 21st Century.

Lastly, in addition to being mutually beneficial to the development of our countries, I sincerely hope that INAP will further grow and benefit not only Asia but the world over.

I'll conclude my address today by saying that I hope each of us gathering here today can contribute to development in our own special way.

Thank you very much for your attention.