Leaders of the 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) wrapped up their annual meeting here Sunday afternoon, agreeing to further promote trade and improve energy efficiency for the region's sustainable development.
Australian Prime Minister, the host, declared at a ceremony the concluding of the two-day meeting, where the leaders had held discussions under the theme of "Strengthening our community, building a sustainable future."
During their gathering, the APEC leaders issued a Sydney Declaration on Climate Change, Energy Security and Clean Development, setting specific goals on reducing energy intensity and increasing forest cover.
According to the declaration, the leaders decided to improve the region's energy efficiency by at least 25 percent by 2030 from the 2005 level, increase forest cover in the region by at least 20 million hectares by 2020, and establish an Asia-Pacific Network for Energy Technology (APNet) to strengthen collaboration on energy research in the region, particularly in areas such as clean fossil energy and renewable energy sources.
The leaders also issued a final leaders' declaration, promising to demonstrate strong leadership in pursuing the region's long- term prosperity. Key elements of the document include agreements to strengthen regional economic integration and build pro-business environment. The leaders also agreed in the document to enhance human security in the region.
A stand-alone statement on the Doha round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations was also issued after the meeting, reaffirming the leaders' support for the multilateral trading system and their determination to bring the negotiations to an early and successful conclusion.
The leaders made an urgent request to all countries involved in the Doha process to renew their efforts to achieve an outcome, stressing agriculture and industrial products as the two priority areas.
The leaders pledged in the statement "the political will, flexibility and ambition to ensure the Doha Round negotiations enter their final phase this year."
The annual meeting of Pacific-Rim leaders is a forum of the highest level in the Asia-Pacific region, with this year drawing 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.
Founded in 1989, APEC is the premier forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia- Pacific region. APEC represents the most economically dynamic region in the world, with its 21 member economies spanning four continents and accounting for approximately 40 percent of the world's population, 56 percent of world GDP and 48 percent of world trade.
The 21 member economies are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, China's Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.
Source: Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article