The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation will focus on “longer-term” issues such as promoting trade and market opening as the group’s members emerge from recession, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.

The 21-member grouping has a long-term vision of creating a free trade area in the Asia Pacific and will use existing trade accords as a springboard to achieving this goal, Lee said today. The Southeast Asian island will host the summit of APEC leaders Nov 14 and Nov 15.