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Apec summit 2014i

Leaders from the 21 member-nations of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) met in the Chinese capital for two days of talks on November 10 and 11, 2014. The summit is the biggest event to date hosted by Chinese president Xi Jinping after he took over the Chinese presidency in March 2013, as Beijing seeks to consolidate its status as a regional leader and economic giant.  

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Just two weeks after Xi Jinping came to power this month two years ago, he said for the first time that the greatest "Chinese dream" was to "realise the great renewal of the Chinese nation".

Beijing has often made headlines because of its pollution or traffic congestion. The government's scrambling effort to prevent such an embarrassing scenario occurring during the Apec forum was the talk of the town last week.

Stephen Schwarzman, one of the most powerful dealmakers on Wall Street, says one thing that could help to improve Sino-US relations, in particular among the general public, is to make it easier for more people to travel to each country.

The "family photos" of state leaders attending last week's whirlwind of regional summits certainly offered clues to the power plays behind the scenes and to the hierarchy of nations.

More than 400,000 officials across several provinces were involved in this month's huge mission to cut smog and ensure there were blue skies over Beijing for the Apec summit.

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Amid crises over Ukraine and the Middle East, the world can be forgiven for failing to appreciate the full significance of China's plan to create a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific.

Beijing's stunning but temporary clear skies finally gave way to choking smog yesterday, despite President Xi Jinping's pledge to preserve 'Apec blue'.

The rich harvest from the Apec meeting, which [President] Xi [Jinping] fittingly described as fruitful, indicates that the now 25-year-old Apec is a lot more than just a showpiece.

The leaders of China and Japan have had several high-level exchanges over the past week since breaking a two-year diplomatic stalemate.

In their final communiqué at this week's summit in Beijing, Apec's 21 members agreed on a two-year study to look into the feasibility of establishing a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific.

The world’s outlook for reaching a global climate deal next year brightened as China and the US - the top two polluters - presented a joint plan to reduce emissions of  greenhouse gases.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in Beijing presented China, as host, with an opportunity to assert regional economic leadership.

China and the United States sealed two military reporting deals to ward off threats from miscommunication as the two countries' defence forces rub up against each other in the Asia-Pacific region.

President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Barack Obama reached consensus on a wide range of issues that the two leaders hope will contribute to a reshaping of bilateral relations. Here are the major points they announced:

Despite efforts to play down their differences, areas of disagreement between the world's two most powerful nations were still evident.

Environmental complaints dropped 30 per cent ahead of the Apec summit, as harsh curbs to create "Apec blue" skies to impress visiting world leaders delivered stunning results.

The US Senate’s Republican leader on Tuesday slammed President Barack Obama’s proposed greenhouse gas reductions as an “unrealistic plan.”

President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Barack Obama yesterday unveiled a flurry of agreements on climate change, trade, defence and international security.

President Xi Jinping is holding talks with his United States counterpart, Barack Obama, after having a private dinner on Tuesday night.

Hong Kong fully supports the formation of a regional free-trade agreement to strengthen economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said.