Featured Speakers
The 2014 APEC CEO Summit brought together an extraordinary assembly of leaders from government, business, and international organizations. These distinguished speakers shared their insights on regional economic integration, innovation, and sustainable development.
Heads of State and Government Leaders
President Barack Obama
United States of America
President Obama delivered a keynote address outlining the United States’ commitment to the Asia-Pacific region and the importance of regional economic integration. His remarks at the APEC CEO Summit emphasized trade liberalization, innovation, and inclusive economic growth as cornerstones of regional prosperity.
As leader of the world’s largest economy and a founding APEC member, President Obama’s perspective on trans-Pacific partnership and rules-based trade frameworks provided crucial context for summit discussions on regional economic architecture.
President Vladimir Putin
Russian Federation
President Putin’s keynote address offered the Russian Federation’s vision for Asia-Pacific economic cooperation and highlighted opportunities for enhanced trade and investment relationships across the region. His remarks addressed energy security, infrastructure connectivity, and the role of APEC in promoting balanced regional development.
Russia’s participation in APEC reflects its strategic focus on strengthening economic ties with Asia-Pacific markets and contributing to regional integration initiatives.
President Xi Jinping
People’s Republic of China
As host economy leader, President Xi attended the summit meetings and delivered important speeches on China’s vision for regional partnership and economic cooperation. His leadership emphasized the summit’s core themes of integration, innovation, and connectivity.
China’s role as APEC host in 2014 reflected its growing influence in shaping regional economic frameworks and its commitment to multilateral cooperation for shared prosperity.
President Benigno Aquino III
Republic of the Philippines
President Aquino participated in the Dialogue on Economic Reform, sharing the Philippines’ experience with structural reforms that enhanced economic competitiveness and sustained growth. His insights on governance reform, investment climate improvements, and inclusive development strategies resonated with business leaders seeking to understand reform dynamics across APEC economies.
The Philippines’ economic transformation under President Aquino’s leadership provided valuable lessons for other developing economies in the region.
President Truong Tan Sang
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
President Sang’s participation in the Dialogue on Connectivity highlighted Vietnam’s priorities for infrastructure development and regional integration. His perspective on building physical, institutional, and people-to-people connections addressed critical enablers of trade and investment growth.
Vietnam’s rapid economic development and integration into global supply chains positioned President Sang as an authoritative voice on connectivity challenges and opportunities.
President Ollanta Humala
Republic of Peru
President Humala contributed to discussions on regional trade integration and the vision for a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific. Peru’s experience as a bridge between Latin American and Asia-Pacific markets provided unique insights into cross-regional economic cooperation.
His participation emphasized the importance of inclusive approaches to trade liberalization that benefit diverse economies at different development stages.
Prime Minister John Key
New Zealand
Prime Minister Key spoke at the Dialogue on Global Finance, addressing financial system stability, capital market development, and investment flows in the Asia-Pacific region. New Zealand’s well-regulated financial sector and open economy positioned him to offer balanced perspectives on financial governance and reform.
His remarks explored the relationship between financial system resilience and sustainable economic growth.
Leung Chun-Ying
Chief Executive, Hong Kong, China
Chief Executive Leung delivered a keynote address on the state of the global economy, examining macroeconomic trends, growth prospects, and risks facing the Asia-Pacific region. Hong Kong’s position as a leading international financial center and gateway to China provided valuable context for his economic analysis.
His assessment of global economic dynamics helped frame summit discussions on business strategy and policy responses to emerging challenges.
Global Business Leaders
Wang Jianlin
Chairman, Dalian Wanda Group
Wang Jianlin participated in the CEO Forum on Future Trends, sharing insights on innovation, digital transformation, and evolving consumer markets in Asia. As head of one of China’s largest private enterprises, his perspective on business model innovation and international expansion strategies resonated with summit participants.
Dalian Wanda Group’s investments spanning real estate, entertainment, and e-commerce exemplify the diversification and globalization strategies pursued by leading Asian corporations.
Douglas Oberhelman
Chairman and CEO, Caterpillar Inc.
Douglas Oberhelman’s participation in the future trends discussion brought a global manufacturing perspective to summit dialogues. His insights on infrastructure investment, industrial innovation, and sustainable development addressed key themes of the summit’s connectivity and innovation priorities.
Caterpillar’s extensive operations across APEC economies positioned Oberhelman to speak authoritatively on regional business environments and opportunities.
Tian Guoli
Chairman, Bank of China
As moderator of the Dialogue on Global Finance, Tian Guoli guided discussions on financial sector development, cross-border capital flows, and the role of financial institutions in supporting regional economic integration. Bank of China’s position as one of the world’s largest banks and its extensive Asia-Pacific network brought depth to financial sector conversations.
His leadership of the finance dialogue ensured substantive engagement with critical issues affecting business investment and economic development.
The Impact of Leadership Dialogue
The assembly of these distinguished speakers created unprecedented opportunities for direct engagement between business leaders and policy makers. The frank exchanges on economic policy, reform priorities, and regional integration strategies enabled business perspectives to inform government decision-making while helping business leaders understand policy directions and opportunities.
These dialogues extended beyond formal sessions, with networking events and informal conversations fostering relationships that continue to shape regional economic cooperation. The insights shared by summit speakers informed APEC’s work program throughout 2014 and beyond, contributing to initiatives on trade facilitation, regulatory cooperation, and sustainable development.
The 2014 Leaders’ Declaration reflected many themes emphasized by summit speakers, demonstrating the summit’s influence on official APEC outcomes and commitments.
Continuing the Conversation
While the 2014 summit concluded, the relationships forged and insights shared continue to influence regional economic cooperation. Many speakers have remained engaged with APEC processes and continued advocating for the principles of open trade, innovation-driven growth, and inclusive development that defined the Beijing summit.
The legacy of their leadership and vision lives on in ongoing initiatives to realize the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, strengthen connectivity infrastructure, and promote sustainable economic development across the region.