China's Xi Jinping to attend Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Manila this month

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend a forum of leaders from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) this month, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday, amid rising tensions in the region over territorial disputes.

The APEC meeting will take place in Manila from November 17 to November 19. APEC's members include the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Canada, and together account for 57% of global production and 46.5% of world trade.

China and the United States have been embroiled in a row over the South China Sea, much of which is disputed between China and several US allies.

A summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations last week, attended by both the United States and China, failed to produce a final statement because the delegations could not agree on whether to mention the South China Sea dispute.