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APEC summit to end with pledges to increase trade, cut terror
Bangkok, Oct 21: Asian and Pacific leaders were wrapping up their annual summit today with a call to restart global trade talks and crack down on terrorism. The United States was also seeking support for a new overture to end the North Korean nuclear standoff.
Bangkok, Oct 21: Asian and Pacific leaders were
wrapping up their annual summit today with a call to restart
global trade talks and crack down on terrorism. The United
States was also seeking support for a new overture to end the
North Korean nuclear standoff.
Some participants in the 21-member Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation forum voiced worries that US President
George W Bush was steering the group too far in the direction
of improving security and away from its stated goal of opening
economies to free trade and investment.
But China's President Hu Jintao argued the two go hand-in-hand.
"For some time, terrorist attacks have gone on unabated in the Asia-Pacific region, undermining the economic and social development of a number of countries," Hu told the summit yesterday, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
North Korea was not on the official agenda but Bush has been huddling privately with other leaders to seek ways to resolve the year-old nuclear weapons crisis. A missile test by the North yesterday added a sense of urgency to his message.
Bush is promoting a plan in which five nations, the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea, would jointly give North Korea written assurances it wouldn't be attacked in exchange for its promise to dismantle its nuclear programme.
Bureau Report
But China's President Hu Jintao argued the two go hand-in-hand.
"For some time, terrorist attacks have gone on unabated in the Asia-Pacific region, undermining the economic and social development of a number of countries," Hu told the summit yesterday, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
North Korea was not on the official agenda but Bush has been huddling privately with other leaders to seek ways to resolve the year-old nuclear weapons crisis. A missile test by the North yesterday added a sense of urgency to his message.
Bush is promoting a plan in which five nations, the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea, would jointly give North Korea written assurances it wouldn't be attacked in exchange for its promise to dismantle its nuclear programme.
Bureau Report