| APEC Papua New Guinea 2018 | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Host country | Papua New Guinea |
| Date | 17–18 November 2018 |
| Venues | Port Moresby |
| Follows | 2017 |
| Precedes | 2020 |
| Website | www |
APEC Papua New Guinea 2018 was the year-long hosting ofAsia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings inPapua New Guinea.[1]
It was the first time Papua New Guinea hosted the APEC meetings.[2]Australia provided a quarter to a third of the cost[citation needed] to host the meetings and also helped with logistics and security (G4S). Three cruise ships were chartered through an Australian company to cater to the some 10,000 delegates and guests.[1][3]
Many of the attendees and delegations had previously attended the2018 East Asia Summit held from 11 to 15 November inSingapore, hosted by the ChairpersonLee Hsien Loong, theprime minister of Singapore. Thereafter, many of the state leaders, including Prime Minister Lee of Singapore, flew fromSingapore to Papua New Guinea.
This was the first APEC meeting forChilean presidentSebastián Piñera,Malaysian prime ministerMahathir Mohamad, andAustralian prime ministerScott Morrison, since their inaugurations and appointments on 11 March 2018, 10 May 2018, and 24 August 2018, respectively; Piñera and Mahathir had previously attended multiple APEC meetings in their first term as president and prime minister, respectively. It was also the last APEC meeting for the hostPapua New Guinea prime ministerPeter O'Neill, who stepped down in 29 May 2019. Additionally, this was the last APEC meeting for Malaysian prime minister Mohamad andJapanese prime ministerShinzo Abe, following their respective resignations in 2020 as the planned2019 summit was cancelled due to theprotests in Chile. WhileNguyễn Xuân Phúc attended for the last time as theprime minister of Vietnam before he was electedpresident in 2021.
Five presidents did not attend the summit –Mexican presidentEnrique Peña Nieto,Peruvian presidentMartín Vizcarra,Russian presidentVladimir Putin,United States presidentDonald Trump, and Vietnamese presidentNguyễn Phú Trọng.[4] Peña Nieto was represented by Mexican Under Secretary of Foreign Trade Juan Carlos Baker, while Vizcarra sentPeruvian foreign minister Nestor Popolizio in his place.[4] Putin was represented by former Russian president, nowPrime MinisterDmitry Medvedev, while Trump sentVice PresidentMike Pence in his place. Nguyễn Phú Trọng was represented by Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc respectively.[4]
Leaders and representatives ofPacific Island nations were invited by Papua New Guinea to attend the "APEC Leaders' Dialogue with Pacific Island Leaders" on 17 November.[7][8]
| Pacific Island Attendees at the 2018 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting[7][9] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Island attendee | Name | Position | ||
 Cook Islands | Henry Puna | Prime Minister | ||
 Fiji | Inoke Kubuabola | Minister for National Security and Defence | ||
  French Polynesia | Tearii Alpha | Minister of Primary Resource Development, Land Use, Development and Mining | ||
 Kiribati | David Ateti Teaabo | Special envoy forPresidentTaneti Mamau | ||
 Marshall Islands | Hilda Heine | President | ||
 Micronesia | Peter M. Christian | President | ||
 Nauru | Baron Waqa | President | ||
 Niue | Toke Talagi | Premier | ||
 Samoa | Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi | Prime Minister | ||
 Solomon Islands | Rick Houenipwela | Prime Minister | ||
 Tonga | ʻAkilisi Pōhiva | Prime Minister | ||
 Tuvalu | Enele Sopoaga | Prime Minister | ||
 Vanuatu | Charlot Salwai | Prime Minister | ||
According to Reuters, "the leaders failed to agree on a communique at a summit in Papua New Guinea on Sunday for the first time in their history as deep divisions betweenthe United States and China over trade and investment stymied cooperation."[10] Also according to same article: "O’Neill said that as APEC host, he would release a Chairman’s Statement, though it was not clear when."[10] O'Neill said that the talks broke down over language about theWorld Trade Organization[11] while Reuters reported that the cause for the impasse was disagreement on portions of the draft communique relating to the WTO which mentioned opposing "unfair trade practices" and reforming the WTO, while another concerned sustainable development.[10]
Much of the security for the meeting was provided by theAustralian Defence Force (ADF) at an estimated cost ofAUD130 million.[12] The Papua New Guinea Government passed special legislation which gave unprecedented powers to foreign forces and security personnel to protect visiting leaders.[13] The ADF supplied about 1500 personnel with airspace security provided by theRoyal Australian Air Force and maritime security support provided by theRoyal Australian Navy.[14]
Other nations to provide security support to the summit included New Zealand, the United States, China, Canada, Japan and Indonesia.[12] In total, about 2000 foreign military personnel were involved.[15]
TheNew Zealand Defence Force provided the offshore Patrol Vessel HMNZS Otago with about 75 crew to assist with maritime security, aP-3 Orion detachment with 20 personnel to provide aerial surveillance, and up to 30 Special Operation Forces personnel.[16] TheUnited States Coast Guard provided in shore security in Port Moresby.[13][17][18]
| Preceded by | APEC meetings 2018 | Succeeded by |
