SINGAPORE, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- An APEC high-level symposium was held Tuesday here on the sidelines of the week-long meetings of the APEC leaders.

    The symposium, sponsored by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) and Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was specially organized to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the APEC.

    The panelists attending the symposium, themed as "20 Years in History: Breaking down Barriers, Connecting the Region and the World," included a number of current APEC ministers and officials, as well as former APEC personalities who were present at the establishment of the APEC.

    Among the notable guests to the symposium were Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank, Bob Hawke, former Prime Minister of Australia and George Yeo, Singapore's Foreign Minister. They reflected on the strategic circumstances surrounding the founding of the APEC, its achievements and its role in the evolving global landscape.

    A book was also launched here after the symposium.

    The book, "APEC AT 20: Recall, Reflect, Remake," contains personal and candid recollections and reflections of academics and policy analysts who have had a longstanding involvement in the APEC, and how its agenda have evolved over the last 20 years.

    Michael Tay, APEC Executive Director, said in the book's foreword that the APEC has grown like an organism, achieving progress, not through legalistic formal mechanisms but through the disparate efforts of the clusters of people working in different sectors to advance regional well-being and growth.