APEC leaders conclude first-day meeting, resolved to complete Doha Round negotiations

Chinese President Hu Jintao (11th, L) poses for a group photo with other  participants of the 17th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Singapore,  Nov. 14, 2009.(Xinhua/Ju Peng)

SINGAPORE, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Leaders and representatives of the 21 APEC economies Saturday concluded a retreat session of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (AELM) held at the Istana, the office of the Singapore President.

Focusing on trade issues, the leaders resolved to inject a strong political push to conclude the Doha Round of WTO negotiations by the end of 2010. There was a sense of urgency that as negotiations moved into the end-game, strong political will was critical to break the impasse.

In a robust defense of free trade, APEC Leaders also reiterated their commitment to reject all forms of protectionism.

There was also a good discussion on APEC's long-term vision of a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). There was consensus among the leaders that APEC economies should step up their efforts to realize this vision, by laying the necessary building blocks and exploring possible pathways.

In this regard, several leaders highlighted the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPP) as a possible pathway. They welcomed U.S. President Barack Obama's announcement Saturday that the U.S. will engage in the TPP and work towards a broad-based and high-quality agreement.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged, however, that political conditions need to be right before negotiations for a region-wide FTAAP could be launched.