APEC China 2014 explained

Country:China
Date:10–12 November
Venues:International Conference Center, Beijing
Follows:2013
Precedes:2015

The APEC China 2014 was the 22nd annual gathering of APEC leaders. It was held in Yanqi Lake, Huairou District, Beijing on 10–12, November 2014.

Attendees

Prior to a two plane tragedies of Malaysia Airlines flight between MH370 and MH17, this was the first APEC meeting for Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet (in her comeback) since their inaugurations on 20 October 2014, 22 May 2014 and 11 March 2014, respectively.[1] [2] [3]

It was also the last APEC meeting for Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (who stepped down on September 15, 2015, following the 2015 Australian leadership spill) and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (who stepped down on November 4, 2015, following the 2015 Canadian federal election).

Preparations

According to journalist John Pomfret, China spent $6 billion on preparations for the summit.[4]

China attempted to prevent Beijing's frequent smog from occurring during the meeting through various measures, including limiting driving and closing down factories in Beijing and the surrounding province of Hebei.[5] [6] The air was clear towards the beginning of the APEC week,[7] but was predicted to be somewhat smoggy during the summit itself.[8] The efforts created somewhat of a backlash among internet users, with the phrase "APEC blue" being coined to satirically refer to something fleeting.[9]

Beijing banned subway riders from wearing Halloween costumes ahead of the event, citing public order concerns.[10]

Events

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had a highly anticipated face-to-face meeting on November 10. Both leaders were described as looking noticeably dour in the photos of them taken prior to the meeting.[11]

On November 12, Xi and Obama announced that their two nations would work to reduce greenhouse gases. The United States would cut their 2005 carbon emissions by 26% to 28% by 2025, while China would peak their carbon emissions by 2030 and strive to achieve 20% of its energy from sources that do not produce carbon emissions. This agreement marks the first time that China agreed to peak its carbon emissions.[12] [13]

Occupy Central leaders speculated on trying to "crash" the summit to protest Beijing's actions in Hong Kong,[14] [15] but were not allowed to enter Mainland China.[16]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Indonesian Leader in Global Spotlight - The New York Times . . 2014-10-21 . 2018-09-21.
  2. Web site: Int'l summits to dominate Jokowi's early weeks. The Jakarta Post.
  3. News: Michelle Bachelet sworn in as Chile's president. BBC News. 11 March 2014. 11 March 2016.
  4. Web site: Beijing's 'Star Trek' APEC Summit. 11 November 2014. The Daily Beast. Jake Adelstein.
  5. News: Letter to Obama: Don't be fooled if Beijing's skies are blue. Washington Post.
  6. Web site: In Beijing, Clearer Views Hide Real Life - The New York Times . . 2014-11-07 . 2018-09-21.
  7. Web site: China's APEC summit measures leave Beijing with cleaner air. 4 November 2014. Los Angeles Times.
  8. Web site: Beijing May Face Smoggy APEC Summit Despite Cleanup Efforts. 5 November 2014. Bloomberg News.
  9. Web site: China state media defends APEC blue skies . Yahoo! . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141108142017/https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/25458838/china-state-media-defends-apec-blue-skies/ . 2014-11-08 .
  10. News: Beijing bans Halloween costumes on subway ahead of APEC. Reuters. 31 October 2014 .
  11. Web site: Japan's Abe and China's Xi hold ice-breaking meeting as Apec starts. Jonathan Kaiman. the Guardian. 10 November 2014 .
  12. Web site: China marks six priorities for new-type of major-country relations with US - Xinhua | English.news.cn . 2014-11-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141112182913/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-11/12/c_133785087.htm . 2014-11-12 . dead .
  13. Web site: Hoye . Matt . U.S. and China reach historic climate change agreement . CNN . 2014-11-12 . 2018-09-21.
  14. Web site: Student leaders may try to crash Apec summit in Beijing to seek talks. South China Morning Post. 31 October 2014 .
  15. Web site: Hong Kong Students Plan Beijing Protest. Mia Lamar. 3 November 2014. The Wall Street Journal.
  16. News: Hong Kong Activists Kept From Flying to Beijing. Chris Buckley. Alan Wong. The New York Times. 15 November 2014 .