Asia-Pacific leaders fail to reach consensus on APEC communique

Asia-Pacific leaders fail to reach consensus on APEC communique
FILE PHOTO: Leaders pose for a family photo ahead of the retreat session during the APEC Summit in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea November 18, 2018. REUTERS/David Gray Copyright DAVID GRAY(Reuters)
Copyright DAVID GRAY(Reuters)
By Reuters
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PORT MORESBY (Reuters) - A Chinese official said on Sunday that Asia-Pacific leaders could not issue the traditional communique at the end of the regional APEC forum, held in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

PNG will instead issue a "chairman's statement", said Zhang Shaogang, director-general of China's international department at the Ministry of Commerce.

Conflicting visions for the region had made it difficult to draft a summit communique, PNG Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato told Reuters earlier on Sunday, as the United States and China revealed competing ambitions for the region.

(Reporting by Jonathan Barrett in PORT MORESBY; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

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