APEC senior officials meeting opens

The Senior Officials Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, has opened in Singapore. Sunday's event kicks off APEC Leaders' Week. The theme of this year's gathering is "Sustaining Growth, Connecting the Region."

It is expected that, when leaders of the 21 APEC members meet on November 14th and 15th, they will focus on ways to secure economic recovery and fight trade protectionism. Issues of regional economic integration, the Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations, and climate change should also rank high on their agenda.