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| APEC ministers meet in Mexico on trade, anti-terror |
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Ministers and officials from 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members gathered in Los Cabos on Wednesday, focusing on anti-terror and trade issues in their first day deliberations of a two-day informal meeting.
Trade and foreign ministers sat around in casual shirts at the beach of the Pacific Ocean under a "carpa" or pergola to prepare for the 10th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting scheduled to take place later this week. Sound of sea waves mixed with voices of the speakers.
"The main topic in the morning has been anti-terror," a source close to the private meeting told Xinhua.
Some ministers who spoke at the morning session expressed their concern at the recent attacks on the Indonesian Island of Bali. "They affirmed the necessity and imminence of strengthening their cooperation in fighting terrorism," the official said.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Nur Hassan Virajuda said that the attacks in Indonesia, which occurred just one year after the Sept.11 attacks on the United States, shows that terrorism is not the enemy of a single country but that of the whole world.
On Tuesday, senior officials from APEC members agreed in principle on more cooperation in finance, customs and other business areas to fight terrorism.
Last year when they met in Shanghai, China shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, APEC leaders issued a statement and pledged to fight terrorism together.
The battle against terrorism will be again a major theme of this year's meeting, which takes place after the deadly Bali terrorist bombing that killed more than 200 on Oct. 12.
US President George Bush will attend the economic leaders' meeting and push for greater participation of the Asian countries in the anti-terror campaign.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in Canberra on Tuesday that he will discuss with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri progress in the investigation to catch the culprits behind the Bali bombing during the meeting.
Meanwhile, senior APEC officials also discussed other topics like trade facilitation and technological cooperation. A Chinese official told Xinhua that the delegates also focused on the implementation of agreements reached last year in Shanghai.
"Officials agreed to facilitate the global multi-lateral trade talks launched last year in Doha under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO)," the official said.
The new round of trade talks has been aimed at assisting the developing countries in economic growth by promoting trade. However, little progress has been made thus far.
APEC, set up in 1989, now groups Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Chinese Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.
Editor: Zhao Xuan
Source: Xinhua
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