Big APEC CEO Summit in Singapore

[Merlin]

For years since 1996, APEC has been a talk shop summit, and Bush didn't pay much attention to it.

This year, big shots are coming, to the APEC and the APEC CEO summits. In Singapore, hotels are happy. There'll be traffic jams. The police'll try very hard to avoid and control the protesters, some of the known ones are blocked from entering the country.

Europe is not represented as this is the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

I think Hillary Clinton and Tim Geithner are also coming.

APEC CEO Summit in Singapore Sees Record Turnout of APEC Leaders

November 04, 2009 -- Singapore, Nov 4, 2009 - (ACN Newswire) - The highly anticipated APEC CEO Summit next week will involve an over-subscribed 1,500 participants, who will be called upon to "lead the change" on the global stage. With participation of Leaders from the 21 APEC economies, it is the largest numberin attendance since the inception of the CEO Summit in 1996.

Taking the stage will be President Barack Obama of USA, President Hu Jintao of China, President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, President Michelle Bachelet of Chile, Chief Executive Donald Tsang of Hong Kong, China, President Felipe Calderon of Mexico, Prime Minister John Key of New Zealand, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Razak of Malaysia, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand, President Nguyen Minh Triet of Vietnam, President Lee Myung-Bak of Korea and Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama of Japan.

More industry headliners have also recently accepted their invitation to speak at the Summit. They are Mr Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank; Mr Gary Locke, Secretary of Commerce of the US; Mr Jin Liqun, Chairman of Board of Supervisors of the China Investment Corporation; Mr Derek Williams, Executive Vice President of Oracle; Mr Dorjee Sun, CEO of Carbon Conservation; Mr Shoei Utsuda, Vice Chairman, Nippon Keidanren and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mitsui & Co., Ltd; as well as Mr Madhu Koneru, CEO of MEC Holdings. ...

This year's event agenda "Rebuilding the Global Economy: Crisis and Opportunity" resonates strongly with the speakers and participants. ...

[Merlin]

Obama and his administration will put up a big show at this APEC forum.

They know they should not expect much immediate results.

Foreign Policy: A High Profile Effort In Singapore

6 Nov [NPR] The Obama administration is mounting a high-profile effort to bring senior officials to Singapore for the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum beginning next week, but struggling with how much substance they will need to deliver in addition to the pageantry.

During the Bush administration, the countries of East and Southeast Asia sought American attention but often felt the Bush focus on the war on terror crowded their issues off the White House's priority list.

The Obama administration has been working furiously to reverse that impression and the APEC forum will represent the largest display of those efforts yet.

The president, four cabinet-rank officials, dozens of appointee level bureaucrats, and maybe even a few Congressmen will attend the multi-faceted session. ....

[oliveryty]

that would be fantastic to see so many leaders gathering.

wish a joint effort against climate change and recession

[Merlin]

Interesting comments about a reversal of fortune between the US and China since APEC was founded 20 years ago after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and after the Tiananmen incident.

It is good for the world that this top level reversal is gradual and not adverserial.

APEC summit sees US-China reversal in fortunes

9 Nov [AFP/SMH] In the 20 years since its launch, the Asia-Pacific's top economic grouping has witnessed a stunning realignment with China on the march and the United States mired in crisis.

President Barack Obama heads to Singapore for this week's annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting with the US recovery painfully slow, the dollar on shaky ground, and US diplomatic standing in need of repair.

Unlike the United States, China was not a founding member of APEC when the club was launched in November 1989, five months after the violent Tiananmen Square crackdown made the Asian country an international pariah.

When it did join in 1991, China was still in transition from a centrally planned economy, but is now striking an increasingly confident pose on the world stage.

Poised to become the world's second-largest economy, it is exerting its influence everywhere - financing America's debt, becoming a top buyer of natural resources, and making its voice heard on major diplomatic issues. ....