By Cho Jin-seo
The Korea Times conducted a small survey of diplomats in Korea on their nations’ interest and assessment for the G20 Seoul Summit, to be held in November.
The results show that financial reform was the first thing in mind for France, while economic recovery and balance of international trade were priorities for the United States and the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Vietnam, a Non-G20 country which is expected to be an observer at the summit as the chair country of ASEAN, called for Korea to play a bridging role between developed and developing nations.
They were in unison in praising Korea’s efforts in preparing for the summit. But there was no agreement made when it comes to the food to be served at the summit’s welcome dinner table. Probably the U.S. had the right answer: a little bit of everything can be a safe solution for the G20 chefs.
Matt Downing, Head of Economic Section British Embassy, Seoul
1. "Premier forum for leading economies to discuss vital economic issues"
2. We hope to see progress on the whole of the G20 agenda of course. But we see the key goal for the G20 as being to continue the recovery of the world economy and secure sustainable growth. We need to maximize growth through the right combination of three things: deficit reduction; tackling imbalances, particularly through actions by emerging economies; and structural reform in advanced economies.
3. Korea is on track to host a well-organized summit. There will undoubtedly be challenges along the way, but I have every confidence that Korea will steer the G20 through the complex issues we must confront during this important year. But there is a bigger story to tell of Korea playing a greater role as a global player, which has been, and will continue to be, noticed around the world. Korea’s pledge to increase its ODA contribution to 0.25% of GNI by 2015 shows the world that it is possible for a country to move from being a recipient of aid to becoming a large donor and beacon of democracy in just 60 years. Korea has a unique experience to pass on here.
4. Mrs. Cameron, the Prime Minister's wife, will have recently had a baby so I'd like to recommend some seaweed soup for her. And since the new baby will probably mean Mr. Cameron will have had a few sleepless nights, I'd recommend a nice bowl of samgaetang (chicken and ginseng soup) to give him a boost of energy!
Tran Trong Toan, Ambassador of Vietnam
1. “An effective premier forum for global economic governance”
2.
(i) Towards a Sustained Global Economic Recovery and Inclusive Balanced Growth, including narrowing development gap among advanced and developing countries;
(ii) Coordination in the implementation of exit strategies;
(iii) Financial reform;
(iv) Concrete measures for an early conclusion of the Doha Development Round and prevention of trade protectionism; and
(v) Other issues such as coordinating mechanism between the G20 and other regional mechanisms such as ASEAN and APEC.
3. Korea may serve as a mediator, listening to both advanced and emerging countries, balancing many conflicts of interest, and proposing alternative actions that will satisfy all parties concerned. In that process, Korea’s experience in overcoming the crises may make Korea better-positioned than any other OECD member countries to link advanced and emerging economies in terms of the post-crisis management of the global economy. In such a noble mission, Korea can rest assured of Vietnam’s continued support and active participation of Vietnam both as an emerging economy and as the Chairman of ASEAN for the great success of the G20 Seoul Summit.
4. It is difficult to suggest the best Korean dish since Korean food is very diverse, delicious and healthy. A variety of food like samgyetang, bibimbap, galbi, tteokbokki and kimchi may help to briefly introduce about the rich culture of Korean traditional cuisine.
Amy Jackson, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea
1. “Today’s most pre-eminent forum for discussions between world leaders,” or “A superb opportunity to promote Korea’s global image in the 21st century”
2. Although the world economy continues to recover from the recent economic downturn, recovery is uneven and still weak in some parts of the world including the U.S. and Europe. Today’s globalized economy is intricately interconnected and virtually every economy is dependent on other nations’ economic performance. Therefore it is of paramount importance that the leaders continue to coordinate key policies with the goal of ensuring a strong and ongoing global economic recovery.
3. Korea is making meticulous preparations related to the G20 summit including coordinating with other G20 member countries, developing a comprehensive agenda for the leaders, and launching its signature G20 Business Event. Korea has an ideal opportunity to showcase the world exactly who Koreans are and what kind of country Korea is in the 21st century.
4. I love spicy Korean food such as kimchi-jjigae and sundubu. But dishes like these might not be for everyone. My suggestion would be to serve beef bulgogi with lots of panchan including kimchi on the side, so all of the leaders can experiment with Korean dishes as much as they would like.
Benoit Gauthier, Economic Counsellor/Head of Economic Mission, Embassy of France
1. "A forum aiming to improve the economic governance of the world"
2. To ensure a sustainable and balanced growth through for all countries, including the poorest. The main issues are to ensure a more stable financial global system, to set up sound safety net mechanisms and to build an efficient international monetary system. Financial inclusion for households and small and medium size enterprises in developing and emerging countries, in relation with development issues, is also a key issue.
3. A sound as well as determinate, pragmatic and professional approach. Korea is deeply committed to achieve its G20 presidency with a successful summit and is strongly acting to reach consensus on the major issues. The Seoul summit could be a great success for the Korean Presidency of the G20.
4. Bibimbap, the healthiest and tastiest meal from Korea.
Evanor Palac-McMiken, Counsellor, Australian Embassy, Seoul
1. The G20 is the world's premier forum for global economic cooperation.
2. The summit is working on a number of issues which will be critical to ensure the continued recovery from the economic crisis, and to ensure stable growth in the future. In order to achieve this, our cooperation on the Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth; and on reform of the financial sector and the IMF will be particularly important.
3. As Chair of the process this year, Korea has already made a significant contribution to shaping the G20 agenda. It is also making great efforts to ensure that leaders and delegates receive a warm welcome for the summit and associated events. We are confident that the Seoul Summit will be a great success.
4. A personal favourite, which I think would suit the special occasion of the G20 summit, would be Gujeolpan, reflecting the flavours, beauty and diversity of Korean cuisine.
Countries are listed in the order of filing of the survey