Australian Prime Minister John Howard said yesterday that he would attend an international conference on the Asian tsunamis to be held in Jakarta next week.
Howard said Thursday's summit would draw together regional and world leaders to discuss a coordinated response to the tragedy.
It will "discuss ways of further enhancing the aid effort, coordinating the aid already offered and making sure the response is appropriate in the medium and longer term," Howard said.
Australia's confirmed death toll stands at 11, with authorities expressing grave concerns for the 111 missing. Another 1,000 Australians in affected areas were still unaccounted for.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) launched a week-long diplomatic blitz of South America on Thursday by inaugurating a massive deep-water port in Peru, a US$1.3 billion investment by Beijing as it seeks to expand trade and influence on the continent. With China’s demand for agricultural goods and metals from Latin America growing, Xi will participate in the APEC summit in Lima then head to the Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro next week, where he will also make a state visit to Brazil. Xi and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte participated on Thursday by video link in the opening
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