China Preparing for 2001 APEC Conference

China is making intensive efforts to ensure the 2001 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Conference a success, a Chinese Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday in Beijing.

Wu Hailong, China APEC senior official and deputy director of the Department of International Organizations and Conferences of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a seminar on APEC trade and investment, which began here today, that the preparations for the 2001 APEC Conference are now in full swing.

China has set up a special work team for the preparations. Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC) Shi Guangsheng jointly head the preparatory committee.

The secretariat of the committee, which handles coordination, protocols, the press, security and other logistic affairs, has begun operation, Wu said.

China and other APEC members are now negotiating the theme of the 2001 APEC Conference. Wu said the theme and topics are expected to be finalized in October this year.

"The theme and topics of the conference should represent the development trends of global economy and the Asia-Pacific economic cooperation," he said.

Shanghai will be the main venue for the 2001 APEC Conference, where the informal summit meeting and the ministerial meetings for foreign ministers and foreign trade ministers will take place. The senior officials' meetings of the conference will be held in Beijing, Shenzhen, Dalian and Shanghai, respectively.

Yi Xiaozhun, director of the Department of International Trade and Economic Affairs of MOFTEC, said the Chinese government pays great attention to the first ever APEC conference to be held in China. He said the conference will be important to the country and the APEC as well.

China hopes to expand cooperation with other members of APEC and help accelerate the balanced and sound development of APEC's cooperation process, he said.

China joined the organization in 1991 and has taken an active part in its activities ever since. President Jiang Zemin participated all the seven annual informal leadership conferences since 1993.



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