China's Ministry of Finance has introduced the key agenda items and expected outcomes of the APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting scheduled for Oct. 20 and 21 in Hong Kong.
A ministry official said China will put forward four major topics -- fiscal policies to support people's livelihoods, financing of digital infrastructure, promoting inclusive finance tailored to local conditions, and fostering exchanges and cooperation among young finance professionals across APEC.
Economies urgently need to strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination and adopt appropriate fiscal and financial policies to better support innovation and inclusive development, the official said.
At the same time, the rapid advancement of digital technologies and artificial intelligence has generated new demand for digital infrastructure investment and financing, and highlighted the importance of improving exchanges among young finance professionals and strengthening future policy-making capacity, the official said.
Finance ministers or their representatives from 21 APEC economies, along with senior representatives from relevant international organizations and partner institutions, will attend the meeting.
At the meeting, representatives of APEC economies will hold in-depth exchanges and work toward consensus documents and deliverables on major topics, the official said.
"Through these outcomes, we hope to pool useful experience from all parties, promote policy exchanges and experience sharing, and provide support for deepening Asia-Pacific financial cooperation and sustaining Asia-Pacific economic growth," the official said.
The APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting in Hong Kong will build up financial sector outcomes ahead of the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, scheduled in Shenzhen in November, according to the official.
China stands ready to work with all APEC economies to uphold multilateralism, deepen macroeconomic policy coordination, maintain the stability and smooth functioning of regional industrial and supply chains, and jointly promote long-term sustainable economic growth in the Asia-Pacific to advance the building of the Asia-Pacific community, the official added.
China's finance ministry outlines APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting agenda in Hong Kong
Yemen's Houthi group said that it had carried out multiple attacks on Saudi and Saudi-led coalition targets, while the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a Houthi missile, and Yemeni government forces reported operations against the group on several fronts.
In a statement released early Thursday, the Houthis said they used a surface-to-air missile to hit a Saudi Typhoon fighter jet. The aircraft, they said, had taken off from Saudi Arabia's Taif Air Base and was hit over Yemen's Sa'adah Province. Saudi Arabia has not yet responded to the claim.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Houthis said they launched a large-scale attack using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones against oil facilities of energy giant Saudi Aramco in Dhahran in eastern Saudi Arabia, as well as King Khalid International Airport and a Saudi Aramco refinery in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
The Houthis said in a separate statement released Wednesday evening that the group had fired one more ballistic missile at King Khalid International Airport and launched three ballistic missiles at Saudi-led coalition targets in southern Yemen.
Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said on Wednesday that they had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile fired toward Riyadh. Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Civil Defense said in a statement on Wednesday that fragments from the intercepted missile fell in Riyadh, injuring one person.
Meanwhile, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported that late on Wednesday the Saudi-led coalition carried out an airstrike on a residential building in the Al Maravi'ah area of Hodeidah province, which is under Houthi control. Early on Thursday, al-Masirah also reported that Yemen's capital, Sanaa, had come under Saudi attack.
According to a Houthi statement issued on Wednesday evening, the Saudi-led coalition launched 42 airstrikes and missile attacks on Houthi-controlled areas in the previous 24 hours. The Houthis said that Saudi attacks on islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait directly threatened the safety of maritime shipping routes.
Separately, Yemeni government forces said on Wednesday that they continued to strike Houthi targets and personnel on the eastern and southern fronts.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the Yemeni government.
Houthis, Saudi-led coalition report fresh military actions against each other
