A security operation unprecedented in modern Shanghai went into high gear yesterday as the Apec forum got under way.
From armed soldiers manning checkpoints at the city's perimeter to a quarantine of international mail to guard against possible biological attacks by terrorists, authorities have pulled out all the stops to ensure the event runs smoothly.
Officials said precautions had been reviewed and upgraded since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
US President George W. Bush and other senior Washington officials are to attend the leaders' summit - the climax of the forum - which will focus in part on international efforts to combat terrorism. It will be Mr Bush's first overseas trip since the attacks.
'Shanghai is a safe place,' Mayor Xu Kuangdi said. 'Still, we have taken extensive measures. Do not worry.'
Those measures will bring normal life to a halt for many of Shanghai's 16 million people as thousands of delegates from the 21 member economies and journalists converge on Pudong, the city's financial heart.
More than 10,000 police and troops were drafted in and placed on high alert as the first day of meetings started at the International Convention Centre.