World News by Wild Rose

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) nations agreed to boost economic coordination amid mounting challenges after a meeting of finance ministers in Hong Kong. “We note that global imbalances have persisted, creating risks to growth and stability,” the finance ministers said in a joint statement following two days of talks. “We recognise that global rebalancing is in our common interest and agree to strengthen communication and cooperation in this regard.” The group also released a policy...

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) finance chiefs reached a consensus on economic policy coordination and cooperation on financing technology and artificial intelligence at a landmark two-day gathering in Hong Kong, according to China’s finance minister. Lan Foan said the outcomes achieved during the Apec Finance Ministers’ Meeting would help shape discussions at the leaders’ summit in Shenzhen next month. “China will work with all member economies to implement the important consensus...

Global attention will turn to Hong Kong this week as about 500 senior officials and delegates from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s 21 member economies gather in the city for the Apec Finance Ministers’ Meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday. It is the first time Hong Kong has hosted the meeting, with Beijing’s support, as mainland China prepares to host the Apec leaders’ summit in Shenzhen next month. Hong Kong joined Apec in 1991 and has continued to take part in the economic forum’s affairs...

Giant pandas, open-top bus rides, a Chinese cooking class, traditional opera, a harbour cruise, the Big Buddha, and The Peak are among the highlights of a packed social programme for VIPs attending this week’s meeting of Apec finance ministers in Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post has learned. According to official itineraries obtained by the SCMP, about 500 delegates and guests from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum’s 21 member economies have been offered a range of activities...

Hong Kong police will conduct round-the-clock patrols in Wan Chai from Friday as part of enhanced security arrangements for the coming Apec Finance Ministers’ Meeting, as delegates begin arriving in the city, the South China Morning Post has learned. Delegates from the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation member economies will travel to Hong Kong as early as Friday for preparatory work, although most ministers are not expected to arrive until Sunday at the earliest. They will stay at several top...

The coming Apec finance ministers’ meeting in Hong Kong will demonstrate “China’s voice” in regional stability, with the city uniquely placed to bring together regional leaders for important exchanges in a geopolitically charged world, the treasury chief has said. In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post on Thursday, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu said the timing of the meeting of finance ministers from the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic...

Taiwanese Finance Minister Chuang Tsui-yun plans to attend the Apec meeting in Hong Kong, where the Chinese finance chief is due to deliver the opening speech. Chuang’s ministry told Reuters on Tuesday she would attend the meeting “as is customary”. Hong Kong is hosting the Apec Finance Ministers’ Meeting on October 20 and 21, while the Economic Leaders’ Summit will take place in Shenzhen next month. China is the summit host for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum this year. In response...

Over the coming weeks, Hong Kong and Shenzhen will host two major gatherings of Asia-Pacific decision-makers. Hong Kong’s first Apec Finance Ministers’ Meeting takes place on October 20-21, with around 500 visitors expected, while Shenzhen hosts the Apec Economic Leaders’ Week next month. These Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum meetings will bring international visitors to two neighbouring cities at the centre of China’s Apec year. For Hong Kong’s tourism industry, they offer a timely...

China’s finance minister, Lan Foan, will deliver a keynote speech, while presentations by three prominent financial institutions will be among the highlights of next week’s Apec meeting in Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post has learned. A draft agenda obtained by the SCMP on Monday listed a series of programmes for finance ministers from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s 21 member economies on October 20 and 21 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. Sources...

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent may skip a meeting of Apec finance ministers in Hong Kong later this month to focus on preparing for President Donald Trump’s historic visit to Shenzhen in November, sources told the South China Morning Post. Bessent is expected to meet Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng in Shenzhen ahead of Trump’s visit – when Trump will again hold talks with President Xi Jinping – as the two sides look to secure a longer extension of the bilateral trade truce, which is due to...

A meeting next month between the leaders of the world’s three biggest nuclear powers is possible but hinges on the three sides finding common ground and setting realistic expectations about outcomes, according to analysts. National Day congratulations from Moscow to Beijing on Thursday fanned speculation that the leaders of China, Russia and the United States could meet at the Apec summit in Shenzhen next month. In a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir...