Chinese president arrives in Bali island for APEC meeting

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday afternoon arrived in the Indonesian resort island of Bali to attend the 21st informal economic leaders' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). It will be Xi's first attendance at the APEC meeting to be held from Oct. 7 to Oct. 8, since he assumed presidency in March. Xi arrived in Bali after wrapping up his state visits to Indonesia and Malaysia. During his stay on Bali island, Xi will also meet with many other leaders and representatives attending the meeting. This year's APEC gathering, themed "Resilient Asia-Pacific, Engine of Global Growth," highlights such topics as achieving sustainable growth with equity, promoting inter-connectivity in the region, and attaining the Bogor Goals, a timeline for achieving free and open trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific. The meeting comes against the backdrop of unevenness of global economic growth, potential uprise of trade and investment protectionism, the stalled Doha round trade negotiations, and strong efforts to boost economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region. APEC, a premier economic forum in the Asia-Pacific region established in 1989, has been committed to dismantling barriers and bottlenecks that interfere with business while nurturing closer economic ties. The organization has grown to encompass 21 members across the Asia-Pacific region, accounting for approximately 55 percent of global GDP and 44 percent of world trade, according to data provided on its official website. As the highest-level meeting of the APEC, the informal economic leaders' meeting has been held annually since its first convention in Seattle, the United States in November 1993.