Breaking News, World News and Taiwan News.

Updated Sunday, November 15, 2009 3:22 pm TWN, By JEAN H. LEE, Associated Press Writer



	Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, centre, makes the Leaders Declaration at the APEC Leaders Summit in Singapore, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) Enlarge Photo

Sponsors
▪	Save 75% for all hotels in Shanghai, Beijing and whole China. Lowest rates for Flights in China.
▪	Get the best deals for Guangzhou Hotels or choose from more than 10,000 hotels in 499 Chinese cities.
▪	Find great real time deals on China Flights. Book flights to China or China domestic flights 24/7.
▪	Buy china wholesale products from reliable chinese wholesalers on DHgate.com!

APEC leaders call for new growth strategies

APEC, which accounts for 40 percent of the world's population and 54 percent of global output, was created 20 years ago to promote greater trade and integration among Pacific Rim nations. Pledges are nonbinding, and the forum's scope has expanded to encompass issues such as climate change, energy and food security, and politics.

One key APEC goal is the creation of a free-trade area covering all 21 APEC economies — an ambitious undertaking that many acknowledge is years down the road.

There have been concerns that the U.S., the world's biggest economy, and other nations might turn inward as they grapple with the worst global financial crisis in decades.

But Obama and others reinforced calls for expansion of free trade rather than resorting to protectionist measures, and pushed hard for progress on talks to liberalize world trade.

They supported studies on the benefits of a future Asia-Pacific free trade area and pathways to realizing the broad pact.

It could take 10 or 15 years for a region as wide as APEC, with countries at such different stages of development, Taiwan's finance minister, Shih Yen-shiang, said this past week. Still, Shih said Taiwan endorses the free trade area as a long-term goal.

APEC must move "very, very incrementally and carefully," said Surin Pitsuwan, secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Leaders also stressed the need to invest in education, health care and employment training to ensure stability in the long term.

Following the APEC meetings, Obama was to hold a summit with all 10 ASEAN leaders, including military-ruled Myanmar. The leaders are expected to call on Myanmar's junta to hold credible elections, but a joint statement obtained by AP stops short of demanding the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.

1|2