|  Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC)
 |
APEC
2008 contingent— (l-r) Dr. Nathan Cook, Evelyn McKinney,
Abby Elsener, Rachael Parrish, Emily Hunter, Matt Springate
and Dr. Cleve Fraser |
APEC
2008
Lima,
Peru
November
16-22, 2008
In November
2008, five Furman seniors and two professors boarded a plane for
Lima, Peru to attend the Leadership Week of the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC). The group was comprised of political science
majors Abby Elsener, Rachael Parrish, and Matt Springate, along
with economics majors Emily Hunter and Evelyn McKinney. Dr. Cleve
Fraser from the Department of Political Science and Dr. Nathan Cook
from the Department of Economics served as the group’s educators.
To view the
students' blog,
click here.
The trip was
facilitated through the Virtual Trade Mission Foundation. As participants
in the “Voices of the Future” program, the Furman students
balanced business with tourism, attending press conferences with
important business and government officials, sitting in on the Business
Advisory Council’s meetings, and attending the APEC Leaders
summit, which included public addresses by heads of state from most
member economies. Additionally, the Furman delegation dined on traditional
Peruvian cuisine, toured the ruins of Parracha and the government
palace in Lima, and interacted with other students from around the
Asia-Pacific region.
On Tuesday,
the Furman delegation attended meetings of the APEC Business Advisory
Council at Los Delfines hotel discussing business conditions and
the implications of the current global economic crisis. Students
were able to congregate outside the meetings and conduct group interviews
with the CEOs as they exited. Furman student Emily Hunter was able
to sit alongside Mr. Jack Ma, CEO of Alibaba Inc. (CEO of the Asian
equivalent of EBay), who was one of the youngest, most successful,
and most respected business representatives attending the conference.
According to Hunter, Mr. Ma remarked that the “crisis of today
is an opportunity for tomorrow.” Hunter also interviewed U.S.
APEC Ambassador Patricia Haslach and Canadian Senior Official John
Sloan.
The delegation
also interacted with ABAC members at the international media center
where Furman students were given press credentials and allowed to
attend and participate in question and answer sessions with businessmen
and government officials. As Peru’s most important crop, 2008
was coined the “Year of the Potato.” Matt Springate
attended a presentation on potatoes and their importance in Peru’s
economy. Headliners of press conferences also included the Peruvian
Minister of Immigration and the Minister of Economy and Finance
from Chinese Taipei.
The Peruvian
population was very receptive to the student group and took active
interest in their participation. Abby Elsener was interviewed by
the publication “El Comercio” and CPN Radio, and Rachael
Parrish was interviewed by a European news source about their experience
as students at the conference.
The week culminated
in the APEC Leaders Summit. The delegation was able to attend as
members of the press. On the first day, addresses were made by Peruvian
President Alan Garcia, Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key, and
Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd. Matt Springate and Rachael
Parrish were questioned by Chinese secret service to validate their
credentials prior to the address by President Hu Jintao of China.
On the closing day, the Furman delegation returned to the summit
to hear the address by President George W. Bush and Prime Minister
Stephen Harper of Canada.
To view an
editorial submitted to The Greenville News penned by Matt
Springate, click
here.
For
photos, click
here.
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