14 APEC leaders confirm attendance at Summit

14 APEC leaders confirm attendance at Summit

Fourteen of 21 APEC economies’ leaders have confirmed their attendance for the annual summit that will take place in Nusa Dua early October.

Among those scheduled to attend the APEC leaders’ meeting on Oct. 7 and 8 are President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, US President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“The presidents of the United States, Russia and China have been among those who confirmed their attendance earliest,” Ahmed Kurnia, official of the APEC Summit media and public relations secretariat, said in a press conference on Saturday.

Xi has confirmed that he will deliver the closing address and attend the hand-over ceremony with Yudhoyono, as China will host the summit next year.

The event organizing committee is still waiting for confirmation from seven heads of APEC states: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Ricky Sugiarto, director for the APEC CEO Summit 2013, said that nine of the 14 leaders had confirmed that they would arrive in Bali early to attend the APEC CEO Summit.

“Before attending the Leaders’ Summit, these leaders will also hold discussions with the private sector during the premier business forum, the APEC CEO Summit, which will be held on Oct. 6 and 7,” he said

In addition to Yudhoyono and Xi, they are Philippine President Benigno Aquino, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, Korean President Park Geun-hye, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

The CEO Summit will feature a program covering the key issues affecting the region.

The summit’s theme “Towards Resilience and Growth: Reshaping Priorities for Global Economy” is expected to provide a discussion forum for policy makers, business leaders and innovative thinkers on securing inclusive sustainable growth and achieving the aim of shared development and common prosperity for all.

This year’s program is exceptional in that it includes the presidents and prime ministers of the Asia Pacific, CEOs of global corporations and thought leaders in an interactive format.

Among the thought leaders scheduled to attend are Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, Nouriel Roubini of Roubini Global Economics and Kishore Mahbubani of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

Focusing on opportunities, over 1,000 delegates will hear firsthand and deliberate with decision makers that shape the future of the Asia Pacific.

This year’s APEC Summit will prioritize attaining the Bogor Goals, achieving sustainable growth with equity and promoting connectivity in the region.

The summit will focus its work on a comprehensive response to arising world economic and financial challenges.

The APEC Summit will start with the Senior Officials Meeting on Oct. 1 and 2, followed by the Ministerial Meeting on Oct. 4 and 5, the CEO Summit on Oct. 6 and 7 and conclude with the Leaders’ Summit on Oct. 7 and 8.

All meetings during the APEC Summit will take place in the Nusa Dua resort complex. The resort’s selected 40 hotels and villas will host hundreds of high profile delegates, including state leaders, ministers, diplomats and high-ranking officials from world organizations and CEOs of international corporations.

In addition to the 21 heads of state and 46 ministers, the summit is expected to be attended by 5,250 economic leaders and around 3,000 journalists from across the globe. There are also around 182 preliminary meetings held ahead of the summit, attended by around 100,000 delegates.

To support this event, several infrastructure projects have been conducted in Bali. Among these is the Dewa Ruci underpass that cost around Rp 148 billion (US$15 million), funded by the state budget.

The infrastructure overhaul also includes the Rp 2.8 trillion expansion of Ngurah Rai International Airport and the construction of the Benoa–Ngurah Rai–Nusa Dua toll road, which cost Rp 2.5 trillion.