Leaders of the 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) wrapped up their annual meeting Sunday in
Sydney, agreeing to further promote trade and improve energy
efficiency for the region's sustainable development.
Australian Prime Minister, the host, announced the closing of
the two-day meeting at a Final Declaration Ceremony.
The leaders, after discussions under the theme of "Strengthening
our community, building a sustainable future," issued a leaders
declaration, promising to demonstrate strong leadership in pursuing
the region's long-term prosperity and enhancing human security.
They also adopted a separate statement on the Doha Round of
World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, reaffirming their
support for the multilateral trading system and their determination
to bring the negotiations to an early and successful
conclusion.
On Saturday, after their first-day retreat, the APEC leaders
also announced a Sydney declaration on climate change, energy
security and clean development, setting specific goals on reducing
energy intensity and increasing forest cover.
The annual meeting of Pacific-Rim leaders is a forum of the
highest level in the Asia-Pacific region, with the presence of such
prominent figures as Chinese President Hu Jintao, U.S. President George W. Bush,
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe.
(Xinhua News Agency September 9, 2007)
