Shanghai Speeds up Preparation for APEC Annual MeetingShanghai, this year's host of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) informal leadership meeting and other APEC-related events, has increased efforts to speed up preparations for the events, scheduled for October.Local government departments have begun to set up organizations relating to the meeting, in which the leaders of the 21 APEC members are expected to gather together. Efforts have been strengthened to train staff, build and renovate facilities, and improve the infrastructure and environment. Officials from the municipal government stressed that Shanghai will be able to provide good communication services for participants, including ADSL access, call center and video-conferencing systems. The training is aimed at providing a qualified volunteer team of about 10 thousand people. Since its establishment, APEC has become one of the most important economic cooperation bodies in the Asia-Pacific region and the world as a whole. Promoting the liberalization of trade and investment and encouraging economic and technological cooperation have become the two major tasks of the regional economic body. APEC now includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, China' s Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, The Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, The United States and Vietnam. |
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