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APEC backs WTO action Ministers from 21 member economies of the Asian-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum ended their two-day meeting on Thursday with a joint statement pledging more efforts to facilitate trade, security, sustainable development and macroeconomic stability. Chilean Foreign Minister Ignacio Walker, who presided over the meeting, told a press conference that APEC has become an effective mechanism to promote trade liberalization and global free trade. On the core topic of trade, Walker said the ministers reaffirmed their strong support for the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha negotiations on free trade and called for ongoing work on the issue until December 2005, when a new WTO Ministerial Conference is scheduled to take place in Hong Kong. According to Walker, the ministers have agreed to write the issue of free trade agreements (FTAs) into the APEC agenda for the first time. The official said the meeting also called on all member economies to take substantial measures to fight corruption and terrorism. Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing vowed joint efforts with other APEC members to fight terrorism and corruption when addressing Thursday's meeting. Li said APEC had adopted a series of joint actions to crack down on terrorism and achieved results to build the capacity of its member economies. As a firm supporter of and participant in the war against terror, the Chinese Government will continue to support APEC's constructive role in the field, the minister said. China attaches great attention to fighting corruption and commends APEC's anti-corruption action plan, Li said, adding that the government will continue to support international co-operation in the field. China is ready to conduct work with other APEC members to share experience and information on the issue and create a transparent environment for trade and development in the region, Li said. Held immediately prior to APEC Economic Leaders' Meetings, the annual meeting of foreign and economic/trade ministers takes stock of the year's activities and provides recommendations to the leaders. This years, the ministers also discussed a series of related topics, including human safety and APEC structural reform. In a joint statement following their two-day meeting, the ministers pledged to work towards an open trading system in a dynamic and inter-dependent Asia Pacific Region. Regarding the resumption of the WTO talks as a top priority, the ministers said they fully endorsed the July Package adopted by the WTO General Council, and called it a breakthrough for the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations. The package ends long-standing deadlock and sets framework on agriculture, non-farm produce markets, service and other sectors. They also highlighted the contributions of APEC member economies to reach the July Package and their commitment to moving forward the DDA negotiations, said the statement. Chinese Assistant Commerce Minister Yi Xiaozhun told fellow delegates that China will continue to support the forum's contribution to the WTO talks. He urged all parties involved to create favorable conditions for the conclusion of the talks. Yi also said China hopes the Doha Round, called "development round," will give more attention to the demands of developing members. 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, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the United States and Viet Nam. With the signing of the comprehensive statement, Thursday's ministerial meeting was also accompanied by a series of sideline bilateral meetings. Separate meetings Li Zhaoxing and his US counterpart, Colin Powell, agreed on Thursday to work further for constructive and co-operative bilateral relations and reaffirmed respectively their stands on the Taiwan issue. Li on the same day also held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo, who reassured Li of their nations' one-China policy. |
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