A pledge of free trade

The strong support that leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gave to free trade will prove more than necessary for the world economy to eventually step out of the current crisis. All countries should join in the fight against protectionism.

In a statement issued in Peru's capital, Lima, the 21 leaders of the APEC member economies endorsed the agreement to resist domestic pressures to protect industries, promising to refrain in the next 12 months from raising new trade barriers. And they also pledged to reach an agreement next month on the outlines of a World Trade Organization pact that collapsed in July after seven years of negotiations.

Chinese President Hu Jintao stressed that we should have strong confidence in the multilateral trading regime and give strong support to the Doha Round negotiations.