Japan has voiced objections to Chinese moves to expand its claims in the South China Sea that Tokyo says are violating worldwide law and threatening free navigation and flight in the region.
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With clenched fists in the air, the protesters chanted “Junk APEC”, referring to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group of 21 economies whose leaders were meeting in Manila.
Against the backdrop of terrorism directly threatening Apec’s vision of secure, open, and prosperous economies, the Apec counter-terrorism task force was established in May 2003.
In a declaration issued at the end of the forum, the leaders denounced all forms of terrorism and vowed to strengthen global cooperation to fight terror.
Filipino riot police officers carry a comrade following a clash with activists near the venue of the on-going Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Manila, Philippines, 19 November 2015.
Park also exchanged views with APEC leaders on ways to maximize the benefits produced by the regional economic bloc amid focus shifting to a new, Washington-led regional trade bloc.
Meanwhile, Abe and his wife sat next to U.S. President Obama during a banquet held on Wednesday while Park sat next to Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, drawing media attention for illustrating the closer ties between Japan and the U.S. He limited bilateral talks to meetings with the leaders of Malaysia, Colombia, and New Zealand. That common recognition leaves little room for any APEC member to downplay the significance of the 12-nation deal.
Beijing also joined in criticizing the trade pact.
The building of a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific, or FTAAP, has been one of the most important, yet hard items, on APEC’s agenda this year.
Most other APEC members, including South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, have expressed interest in joining the TPP.
“We discussed the impact of China’s land reclamation and construction activities on regional stability”, Obama told reporters after meeting Philippine President Benigno Aquino.
The Philippines would likely have to amend its constitution to allow a greater share to foreign investors in certain industries.
With the introduction of the Belt and Road initiative and the AIIB, China provides countries along the silk routes with opportunities to improve their inter-connectivity, thus opening broad markets for Asian and European countries, said Benito Lim, political science professor of Ateneo de Manila University. “Alongside the economic agenda, the U.S.is also using the APEC as a platform to promote its pivot to Asia and justify the increased USA military presence in the region”.
South China Morning Post noted that the exclusion of China, the world’s “largest merchandise trader” with combined exports and imports worth $4.3tn previous year, from the TPP, speaks volumes.
Moscow said regional accords hinder trade development because they do not foster an atmosphere of inclusion and openness and their negotiations are exclusionary and secretive in nature.
“The overall sentiment of the leaders was that TPP is more than just another free-trade agreement”, Mr. Froman said.
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Such rifts often have strained APEC’s facade of handshakes and unity, overshadowing talks on trade and development. Member nations released a statement this week saying the trade pact creates a “new and compelling model for trade” that will alleviate poverty and strengthen links among their economies.
