Hawaii’s World

By A.A. Smyser

Tuesday, August 19, 1997

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Hawaii’s next leaders
need global savvy

A major issue in next year's governor campaign ought to be: "Who can best help us grab economic opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region?

It ought to carry into other campaigns, too. We need globally sophisticated mayors plus globally sophisticated legislators and county council members. We also, of course, need to help our general population to be as globally informed as possible.

I can give you five economic reasons formulated by a local businessman:

Geographically, Asia is five times the size of the United States.

Per capita income in Asia is growing faster than in any other region of the world. In two dozen years, four of the world's top five economies will be in Asia.

Asia has nearly one-third of the world's population. China is the biggest nation. Indonesia is No. 4, nearly as big as the U.S. Japan is No. 7.

Air traffic in Asia is projected to grow at 8 percent a year in the next 10 years, far outstripping growth in Europe and the U.S.

In Asian nations, travel and tourism are growing at rates even faster than the national economies. Asian travel now is just over one-third of the world market. In a dozen years it may be over 50 percent.

Add to this the Pacific islands, tiny in the global picture, but a natural pocket market for Hawaii. We have ethnic affinities, as we do to Asia. We also are the closest U.S. point to Australia and New Zealand.

For our leaders not to know this region can be a major handicap. We too often accuse well-traveled leaders of junketing. A junket is a fun trip at taxpayer expense. A working trip is quite the opposite. And it's no sin to have a little fun and sightseeing after the work is done. That, too, can help build sensitivity and contacts.

The "Big Three" for next year's governor's election have this Asia travel experience:

Governor Cayetano, not much traveled before he took office, now has been three times to the Philippines, where he gets on well with President Ramos; and on trade promotions to Japan, Taiwan and China, including Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai. National and Western governors' conferences have shown him a good bit of the U.S., including Washington, D.C., and he's made important contacts.

Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris has been on official visits to Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan (twice, including Okinawa) and he has a China visit set for October. He also has been to Palau in the Pacific islands. In November in Honolulu he will host the Japan-America Conference of Mayors and Chamber of Commerce presidents. Before he was mayor he saw Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Samoa, Costa Rica, Canada and Europe.

Maui Mayor Linda Lingle has been on official visits to Indonesia, Japan (twice), and Thailand, plus Guam and Ponhpei in the Pacific islands. She also is widely traveled in the U.S., as is Harris.

Our executives must tend the home front, of course, but international savvy is essential in holding our place in a globalizing world. I'd send them all off, too, to see what lessons there are for us in New Zealand's widely studied radical breakout from near-bankruptcy to prosperity, balanced budgets, low inflation and a shrunken national deficit.