Apec leaders meet amid trade pact tensions, regional disputes

Beijing

MINISTERIAL-LEVEL meetings among Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) members kicked off on Friday in Beijing, a city that has virtually ground to a halt as the world's second-largest economy rolls out the red carpet for the annual summit which brings together 21 economies.

The talks will lay the ground for the official Apec meeting to be held on Monday and Tuesday next week just outside Beijing, which will see leaders such as Shinzo Abe, Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama in Beijing. The US president will then embark on a two-day visit in China, his first since 2009.

The summit will focus on free trade, anti-corruption, investment, technology, and climate change.

On Friday, the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) called for Apec to pursue reforms with a focus on policy and trade to maintain strong growth. It said: "PECC's annual survey of the regional policy community identified technological innovation; policy reform; trade (to both emerging and advanced economies); and investment in infrastructure as the future drivers of growth over the next 5-10 years. These engines are needed to replace the region's reliance on exports as the prim…