Official: Singapore aims to resist protectionism at APEC summit

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

SINGAPORE, Feb. 6 (Chinese media) -- Singapore will push forward the Asia Pacific

Economic Cooperation (APEC) agenda by promoting economic cooperation in the

region and resisting protectionism, Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo said

on Friday.

Yeo said in the Parliament that in the backdrop of sharp economic downturn,

protectionist sentiments will rise in many countries, adding that the chance of

concluding the Doha negotiations in the near future is small.

Singapore is to host this year's APEC leaders' summit in November.

Yeo said that during the meeting, the global economic crisis will be the

preoccupation for all leaders in the region because all economies are seriously

affected by it and the crisis will bite hard in every economy by the end of the

year.

He said that an important item for APEC is the proposal to establish a Free

Trade Area of the Asia Pacific as a long-term goal.

"In trade matters, like riding a bicycle, there is always a danger of

falling off when you are not moving forward," said the minister.