Chinese leader calls for economic integration

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has urged Asia-Pacific nations to accelerate economic integration to spur global growth, on day two of the Apec summit.

He spoke as leaders from the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) bloc met for roundtable talks. Discussion is expected to center on trade agreements and a regional anti-corruption initiative.

On Monday, the Japanese and Chinese leaders held talks for the first time on the sidelines of the summit. Ties between the two Asian giants have been extremely tense due to a territorial row over disputed islands in the East China Sea.

US deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said the US welcomed the meeting as it was an opportunity to lower the simmering tensions between the two countries.

On Tuesday, Xi pushed for a trade liberalisation framework called the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). "The global economic recovery still faces many unstable and uncertain factors," the Chinese leader said outside Beijing where the summit is taking place. "Facing the new situation, we should further promote regional economic integration and create a pattern of opening up that is conducive to long-term development," he said.

- BBC