HANOI, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Over 1,000 representatives from leading multi-national corporations of the Asia-Pacific region gathered in Hanoi Friday for a two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Summit.

    Incepted in 1996, the annual APEC CEO Summit is the biggest event of the business community of the region.

    The summit was officially recognized as a sideline event of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and gained its current name at the leaders' meeting in Auckland in 1999.

    Aside from the CEOs, the event usually also draws presence of some of the presidents and prime ministers of the APEC member economies. It thus provides opportunities for business leaders in the Asia-Pacific to hear presentations from and to engage in discussions with APEC economic leaders, policy makers, academia and other CEOs on the most critical economic and business issues facing the region.

    The event this year is held under the theme of "Toward One Community: Creating New Opportunities for Shared Development."

    Twelve APEC economic leaders will deliver speeches at the 2006 CEO Summit, including Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.