A Recap of Sunday’s APEC Events
Sunday marked the last day of APEC 2011 in Honolulu, and the events for Asia-Pacific leaders moved from Waikiki to the Windward and Leeward coasts.
You can read our daily coverage of the week-long event here. Meanwhile, here’s a quick recap of Sunday’s events:
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Hawaiian guitarist and “Occupy” sympathizer Makana explained why he sang a protest song for APEC leaders at a dinner Saturday.
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First Lady Michelle Obama , for APEC leaders at Kualoa Ranch. Local chef Ed Kenney served up locally grown ingredients, and the First Lady bestowed gifts on the dignitaries’ spouses: silver orchid brooches and cufflinks made from Hawaiian wood.
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APEC leaders announced a public-private partnership to “ensure the safety of global food supplies,” .
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The Obama Administration expects Asia Pacific leaders to end tariffs on environmentally friendly products and services, according to reports from and the .
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Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Sunday in an effort to prevent an economic crisis like the one Europe is experiencing, the Wall Street Journal reported.
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Korean President Lee Myung-bak in order to promote corporate innovation and creativity, the Korea Times reported.
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President Obama invited Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to Washington next month, possibly to smooth over about the U.S.’s decision to delay approval of a $7 billion energy pipeline .
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More than 200 Chinese and Hawaiian business and political leaders met at the State Capitol to discuss ways to work together on energy issues. They fear the Asia-Pacific region will soon face an energy crisis if renewable resources aren’t developed.
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At in the afternoon, President Barack Obama broke an 11-year tradition of having APEC nation leaders dress in local regional garb for a “family photo.” Many speculated that the attire for this year’s photo would be the aloha shirt. But instead, we saw only boring black business suits (with the exception of a white blazer, worn by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard).
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The majority of questions for President Obama at his final APEC press conference were about anything but APEC. They ranged from the jobs bill and waterboarding to comments made in Republican debates and last week’s hot mic incident in which Obama and French President Nicholoas Sarkozy were caught bad-mouthing Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu.
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During his last press conference, Obama announced that he will not comment on statements made during Republican debates until the GOP has “an actual nominee.”
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President Obama also reiterated that China must play by the same rules other APEC countries play by, and said it is time for China to move toward a market-based system for its currency. “We welcome the peaceful rise of China,” he said.
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He cited Furlough Fridays as an example of why America could fall behind in the global job market unless something gives.
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Finally, President Obama said that no region will be more important than Asia to the United States’ eventual economic recovery.
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