While Japan chairs the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum for the year and presses for freer trade, 2010 may be an unforgettable year, impacting trade the opposite way if the Doha global trade liberalization talks under the World Trade Organization falter.
There are fears the collapse of the eight-year-old talks, which face a self-imposed deadline this year, would seriously hurt international resolve to fight protectionism. At the same time, though, some experts and officials say the demise could help boost efforts by the 21-member APEC for further economic integration.
The 153-member WTO seeks to successfully conclude the Doha Round talks this year, having missed deadline after deadline. However, no breakthrough has been seen, with key players refusing to make concessions on such issues as tariff cuts and reductions in export subsides.
The Doha negotiations, launched in 2001 to help poor nations by enhancing trade, were originally intended to be concluded in 2005. The Japanese government has committed to supporting multilateral trade principles under the WTO.