APEC senior officials meet for upcoming 2014 summit

Chinese deputy Foreign Minister Li Baodong, also Chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2014 Senior Officials Meeting (SOM), speaks during the Concluding SOM at China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 5, 2014. The APEC 2014 CSOM will be held here from Nov 5 to 6. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)

The concluding Senior Officials' Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2014 opened in Beijing on Wednesday, ushering a series of APEC events in the coming week. [Special coverage]

The two-day meeting was presided over by Li Baodong, China's vice foreign minister and chairman of the 2014 APEC Senior Officials' Meeting.

The officials met to prepare for the upcoming APEC events include the APEC Ministerial Meeting, APEC CEO Summit, APEC Business Advisory Council Dialogue with Leaders, and the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (AELM) scheduled on Nov 10-11.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will chair the AELM to be participated by leaders of APEC members, including U.S. President Barack Obama.

China will also host a dialogue on strengthening connectivity on Nov 8.

The first three Senior Officials' Meetings were held in February, May and August, respectively. The officials met to implement the decisions made at the past AELM and Ministerial Meetings and make preparation for upcoming events.

The 21-member APEC has been the most influential economic cooperation mechanism in the Asian-Pacific region. Its members, including the United States, China, Japan and Russia, account for over half of the world's economic output, 40 percent of the world's population, and 46 percent of total global trade.