November 19, 2015•Update: November 19, 2015
By Roy Ramos
ZAMBOANGA, the Philippines
A summit of world leaders in the Philippines ended Thursday with a final statement condemning all acts of terrorism.
Participants in the two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders summit also called for “urgent” and “increased” international cooperation against terror following the string of attacks on Paris, Beirut and a Russian aircraft.
"We strongly condemn all acts, methods, and practices of terrorism in all their forms and manifestations," the APEC end-of-summit statement said. "We will not allow terrorism to threaten the fundamental values that underpin our free and open economies.”
It did not mention a dispute among China, the Philippines and other Asian nations over the South China Sea -- nor, more surprisingly, did it include the usual declarations on trade and investment.
The Manila summit, a regional gathering encompassing many of the world’s biggest economies, began just days after the Nov. 13 Paris attacks in which 129 people were killed.
The statement also mentioned the Nov. 12 twin suicide bombings in Beirut, in which 43 were killed, and the downing of a Russian commercial aircraft by a bomb over Sinai on Oct. 31, killing all 224 people onboard.
“Economic growth, prosperity, and opportunity are among the most powerful tools to address the root causes of terrorism and radicalization,” it underlined.
“We stress the urgent need for increased international cooperation and solidarity in the fight against terrorism.”
Russia's President Vladimir Putin skipped the APEC Summit in Manila to oversee an investigation into the crash.
The South China Sea dispute, which involves China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan -- all APEC members -- was not mentioned in the final statement despite apprehension that China’s claims threaten freedom of navigation in the waters.
As an act of goodwill, the Philippines had acceded to a request by China not to raise the territorial dispute.
The 21 APEC member economies are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United States and Vietnam.
