Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
The Toronto-based
Globe and Mail
archive indicates that the newspaper's
first reference to the term 'Pacific Rim' occurred in the text of a business
story in 1964. The pace of citation quickened during the decade and by the
end of the 1960s the Pacific Rim was a fairly common entry to columns on
the trade and economic development of British Columbia. Some 30 refer-
ences in the 1964-69 period were almost all trade-related, and invariably
positioned in the newspaper's business section. Among the half-dozen sto-
ries where the concept had graduated to headline status, the emphasis was
self-evident if unimaginative: 'Japan: Will the Pacific Rim enclose a new
market?' (March 25, 1967); 'Pacific Rim free trade is urged' (September 12,
1968); 'Trade opportunity cited in Pacific Rim' (June 10, 1969); 'Pacific
Rim marketing opportunity cited' (July 22, 1969). However, despite a
promising opening to the next decade - 'Canada trade with Pacific Rim
continues to rise at fast rate' (March 6, 1970) - the citation rate in story
titles during the 1970s fell to less than one a year. The bold sightings of a
new continent in the 1960s seemed to have slipped behind an off-shore
Pacific fog bank.
With the 1980s the Pacific Rim dramatically entered public consciousness
less chimerically, as an idea that now had substance. Headlines in the
Globe
and Mail
declared the salience of economic linkages across the Pacific.
A substantial report in 1984 announced 'Pacific Rim replacing European
markets' (March 19, 1984). A few months later a special report in the busi-
ness section led with the headline 'Pacific Rim new focus for trade' (25
January, 1985). From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, headlines lauded the
growth of trade and the interest of Canadian mining, energy, banking and
property companies in the burgeoning economies of first Japan, then the
four tigers of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, and finally
China. There remained, however, a good deal of exhortation to Canadian
firms with projections of the benefits of enhanced trade, suggesting that
take-up was lagging behind predicted opportunities. Interest remained
focussed in the business pages. The articulation of new trading networks was
formalized with the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation
(APEC) network in 1989, an annual forum for first ministers to discuss
trade issues. Notable and consistent with the
Globe and Mail
's long-standing
coverage is the strong economic emphasis of APEC, unlike Atlantic net-
works which include also military, social and cultural relationships.
Canadian trade across the Pacific did indeed grow substantially.
4
Merchandise exports to Asia cleared through British Columbia (BC) ports
rose from $1 billion (CDN)
5
in current dollars in 1971 to $7.5 billion in
1984; as a share of all exports they grew from 36 percent in 1971 to
41 percent in 1984. Japan as leader of the rapid economic development in
Asia Pacific was by far the most significant buyer of Canadian products,
principally raw materials, taking over 60 percent of exports to Asia by value
