O’Neill prepares for Apec meet in Russia

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meeting in Russia’s Far East city of Vladivostok from Sept 8-9.
The prime minister, who returned to Port Moresby yesterday from the Pacific Islands Forum in the Cook Islands, said the meeting would discuss important issues such as trade among member countries.
He said that from Russia, he would travel to China to meet officials there.
O’Neill said the trip was important because China was one of PNG’s biggest trading partners.
“By 2014, China will be the largest buyer of the PNG’s LNG and the Ramu nickel project and is also interested in supporting our development programmes.
“It is going to be an important meeting to maintain the partnership between the two countries,” he said.
He said that it would also be an opportunity for the country to discuss several other trade and diplomatic issues with China.