The ongoing Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation economic leaders' meeting in Manila has brought together leaders of APEC economies, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, to discuss the strategic plans for future collaboration.

With the world economy still struggling and economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region being on the verge of a breakdown, the two-day event has all the more reason to accord priority to regional and global economic integration. It should also encourage all APEC leaders to candidly exchange their proposals and ideas for inclusive global growth, as the theme "Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World" indicates.

However, in the run-up to this year's APEC meeting, the United States has been acting otherwise. Washington, in tandem with some US media outlets, has been pressuring the meeting organizers to put the South China Sea disputes in a spotlight, disregarding Manila's repeated promises to exclude them from the meeting. On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama called on China to halt further land reclamation and new construction in the disputed waters. At a meeting with Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, Obama called for "bold steps" to lower tensions in the region.