Asia-Pacific nations pledged closer economic cooperation in the future as they wrapped up an annual leaders＇ summit in Indonesia on Tuesday.
A closing statement by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum said better connectivity could help offset a shaky global economic recovery.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the two-day meeting at his country＇s resort island of Bali was a success.
"We reaffirm our commitment to achieving a strong, balanced, sustainable and inclusive growth," said Yudhoyono.
The 21-member group＇s final declaration also pledged to protect the region＇s food, energy and water sourcs from the threats posed by climate change.
The meeting was expected to advance talks on a U.S.-led trade bloc, known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, that the U.S. hopes to conclude by the end of the year.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met on Tuesday with leaders of the 11 APEC nations involved in the TPP. There was no immediate word on any progress in the talks.
Kerry represented the U.S. at the meeting in place of President Barack Obama, who was forced to stay in Washington to deal with domestic budgetary disputes that have led to the partial shutdown of the U.S. federal government.
Many of the leaders who attended the APEC summit are now headed to nearby Brunei for the annual summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The U.S. president＇s no-show at both the APEC and ASEAN summits has disappointed his Asia-Pacific allies, who have been seeking stronger ties with Washington to balance China＇s growing economic and military influence in the region.
On Monday, Kerry insisted that Washington remains focused on the region despite the absence of President Obama. He said there is "nothing that will shake the commitment" of the U.S. president to a strategy of rebalancing U.S. policy toward Asia.
In Obama＇s absence, Chinese President Xi Jinping took the spotlight on Monday, telling an APEC forum that China wants to live in "amity" with its Asia-Pacific neighbors and sees the region as a "big family."
Xi also said he is "fully confident" that China will sustain economic growth at the level that it needs.
Ahead of the APEC summit, President Xi signed a $33-billion trade deal with Indonesia and pledged to significantly boost trade with Malaysia by 2017. |
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