Beijing Embraces APEC 2014

On November 5-11， China hosts in Beijing the 2014 APEC Economic Leaders Week， including the Concluding Senior Officials Meeting， the 26th APEC Ministerial Meeting， and the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders Meeting. During the Leaders Week， China also hosts the APEC CEO Summit， APEC Business Advisory Council Dialogue with Leaders， and Leaders spouse programs.

Thirteen years ago， China hosted the 9th APEC Economic LeadersMeeting in Shanghai. With the meeting in Beijing， China will become the third country to host APEC twice， after Japan and Indonesia. To successfully hold the APEC Summit， China has completed four Senior Officials Meetings.

On December 10， 2013， at the APEC Informal Senior OfficialsMeeting held in Beijing， China reported to APEC members the theme and key topics of the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in 2014. The theme of the meeting is “Shaping the Future through AsiaPacific Partnership，” and the three topics are “advancing Asia-Pacific regional economic integration，” “promoting innovative development， reform and growth of the economy，” and “strengthening comprehensive infrastructure and connectivity construction.”

On February 27-28， APEC convened its 2014 First Senior Officials Meeting （SOM1） in Ningbo， Zhejiang Province. During the two-day event， the SOM1 discussed issues under three priority areas： advancing regional economic integration； promoting innovative development， economic reform and growth； and strengthening comprehensive connectivity and infrastructure development. The meeting developed a stronger consensus on accelerating the facilitation of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific （FTAAP） process， promoting growth through innovative development and economic reform， and developing the APEC Blueprint on Connectivity. The meeting also passed a series of working plans.

On May 14， APEC held its Second Senior Officials Meeting （SOM2） of 2014 in Qingdao， Shandong Province. The SOM2 reviewed the current progress and facilitated future APEC cooperation initiatives in preparation for the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Beijing in November. The SOM2 also held in-depth discussions on issues under the same three priority areas.

On August 20-21， the APEC Third Senior Officials Meeting （SOM3） was held in Beijing. Senior Officials from 21 APEC member economies held in-depth discussions centered around the theme and three priority areas of APEC 2014. The discussions allowed APEC members to build more consensuses and implement cooperation initiatives， making sound preparations for the outcomes of the Economic Leaders Week.