APEC ministerial meetings get underway in Singapore
By S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 12 November 2009 1329 hrs

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SINGAPORE: The APEC ministerial meetings took place in Singapore on Thursday morning. Co-chairing them are Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo and Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang.

Speaking to the media, an APEC spokesperson said the meeting will hear from Japan – the next APEC chair in 2010 – on the preparations for the Yokohama Summit.

Initiatives to improve the ease of doing business and simplifying customs procedures and documentation, related to the rules of origin, are also expected to be endorsed on Thursday.

APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting is chaired by Singapore's Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Earlier, ASEAN's foreign ministers had a breakfast meeting with their US counterpart. The ASEAN-US meeting with US President Barack Obama is set to take place in Singapore on Sunday.


- CNA/so