APEC Senior Officials Hold Informal DiscussionsSenior officials of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members held informal discussions Sunday in Beijing, marking the start of APEC events in 2001.Senior officials from all 21 APEC members attended the gathering, which aimed to prepare for the first Senior Officials Meeting (SOM I) of the 13th APEC Ministerial Conference, due to open Monday. The two-day SOM I, along with other related meetings, are scheduled to last through February 19. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya, chairman of the SOM I, is to brief the press on the meeting later Sunday. China will host the other three SOM meetings this year and other APEC-related conferences, in the run-up to the APEC informal leadership meeting scheduled to be held in Shanghai in October. APEC, one of the key economic forums in the region, has established a working mechanism ranging from informal leadership meetings to ministerial meetings, senior officials' meetings, secretariat, committees, groups and advisory council. Founded in 1989, APEC has 21 members -- Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Chinese Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam. |
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