{"id":"1792883551486-news-segment","slug":"apec-s-first-political-statement-25-years-ago","title":"APEC's First Political Statement, 25 Years Ago","summary":"The APEC summit in Shanghai ended October 21, 2001, with leaders issuing both a broad economic declaration and their first-ever political statement condemning the September 11 attacks as \"murderous deeds\" and committing to counter-terrorism cooperation. This mixes a real 2022 global nature pledge (\"30x30\" from COP15) with a UK-specific assessment; it's editorial commentary, not a checkable factual claim.","publishedAt":"2026-10-24T23:12:31.486Z","channel":{"id":"news","name":"Oncast News","language":"en"},"show":"News Tonight","verification":{"status":"verified","leadVerdict":"TRUE","notes":"TRUE: The APEC summit in Shanghai ended October 21, 2001, with leaders issuing both a broad economic declaration and their first-ever political statement condemning the September 11 attacks as \"murderous deeds\" and committing to counter-terrorism cooperation. This mixes a real 2022 global nature pledge (\"30x30\" from COP15) with a UK-specific assessment; it's editorial commentary, not a checkable factual claim.\nSource: [bbc.co.uk](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1611674.stm), [cnn.com](https://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/east/10/21/apec.finalstatement/inde (https://x.com/25YearsAgoLive/status/2112700672931963340)","claims":[{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"The APEC summit in Shanghai ended October 21, 2001, with leaders issuing both a broad economic declaration and their first-ever political statement condemning the September 11 attacks as \"murderous deeds\" and committing to counter-terrorism cooperation. This mixes a real 2022 global nature pledge (\"30x30\" from COP15) with a UK-specific assessment; it's editorial commentary, not a checkable factual claim.","sourceName":"[bbc.co.uk](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1611674.stm), [cnn.com](https://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/east/10/21/apec.finalstatement/inde","sourceUrl":"https://x.com/25YearsAgoLive/status/2112700672931963340","claim":"The APEC summit of world leaders ends in Shanghai, China, with a resolution by attendees to band together for economic prosperity and world security. https://t.co/svjWll5xFQ","author":"2001 Live (@25YearsAgoLive)"}]},"sources":[{"url":"https://x.com/25YearsAgoLive/status/2112700672931963340","name":"[bbc.co.uk](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1611674.stm), [cnn.com](https://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/east/10/21/apec.finalstatement/inde","kind":"x","verdict":"TRUE","author":"2001 Live (@25YearsAgoLive)"}],"url":"https://oncast.fm/story/1792883551486-news-segment-apec-s-first-political-statement-25-years-ago","listenUrl":"https://oncast.fm/c/news","attribution":{"publisher":"Oncast","site":"https://oncast.fm","url":"https://oncast.fm/story/1792883551486-news-segment-apec-s-first-political-statement-25-years-ago","cite":"Cite https://oncast.fm/story/1792883551486-news-segment-apec-s-first-political-statement-25-years-ago and the original source links. Fact-check by Oncast (oncast.fm)."},"hostsSaid":[{"host":"Bella","text":"Twenty-five years ago this week, world leaders wrapped up a summit in Shanghai with a statement none of them had planned to make."},{"host":"Brian","text":"The APEC summit — an economic forum suddenly talking about terrorism. That's the story."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Chinese President Jiang Zemin read a condemnation of September 11th, calling it 'murderous deeds.' First time APEC did anything political."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Funny how an attack on the world's biggest economy suddenly made everyone want to talk security."},{"host":"Bella","text":"The 2001 Live account posted the footage — all of them in those silk jackets, Bush and Putin looking like they're at a bowling league banquet."},{"host":"Brian","text":"The 'drip' era of diplomacy. Remember those jackets? Every leader forced into the same outfit."},{"host":"Bella","text":"But the real news: Jiang stopped short of endorsing a military response. Condemned the attacks, wouldn't sign on for war."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Which is exactly the line Beijing walks today. Condemn terrorism, avoid commitments. Some things don't change."},{"host":"Bella","text":"And that's the thing about looking back — you see the pattern forming. Trade? Yes. Security cooperation? Maybe. Military action? No."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Meanwhile, today: CNBC reports American embassies are tightening security again. Iran threat warnings intensifying."},{"host":"Bella","text":"And this one needs the caution flag. CNBC says the Director of National Intelligence wrote a memo saying Iran is in 'advanced stages' of planning attacks. We can't confirm that specific memo yet."},{"host":"Brian","text":"The threat is real though — we've been covering the region-wide security alerts and the embassy posture shifts all week. This isn't invented danger."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Right. Warnings are official. The 'advanced stages' language — that's the part we haven't seen independently verified. CNBC's reporting it as their story."},{"host":"Brian","text":"And here's the part that gets me: we're a week from the midterms. Iran threatening Americans, and half the conversation is about whose fault it is."},{"host":"Bella","text":"That's the election season we're in. Everything gets weaponized."},{"host":"Brian","text":"No, but— seriously. The threat is there. Embassies are responding. Maybe we talk about the actual threat instead of the politics for five minutes."},{"host":"Bella","text":"The problem is verification. People share a memo they haven't seen, it gets amplified, and suddenly it's fact. The threat is real; the memo is unconfirmed."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Fine. But if DNI puts it in writing, that's not a rumor. That's the intelligence community's assessment. I'm less interested in the memo than the response."},{"host":"Bella","text":"And the response is silent, as far as we can tell. No public statement from Tehran, no deal announcement, just warnings."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Which is exactly the problem. We're in the fog. And the fog is where elections get messy."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Different story: AI funding fears, CNBC adjusting its portfolio. Rotation out of AI stocks."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Their investing club says defensive stocks benefited. Shocking — CNBC's personal portfolio thesis in the news feed."},{"host":"Bella","text":"It's their own product. But the story underneath is real: the AI trade is cooling. After two years of everything going up, the smart money's getting cautious."},{"host":"Brian","text":"I noticed they didn't name which stocks. Just 'defensive.' Very helpful."},{"host":"Bella","text":"That's the whole pitch. Join the club, get the names."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Fine. But the truth is AI valuations have been stretched. If funding fears are real, a pullback could be overdue. Not that I'd tell you what to buy."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Nor should you. Here's what's undeniable: the AI trade was the market's engine, and if it stalls, everything pulls back."},{"host":"Brian","text":"One more story on the lighter side. The biodiversity crowd is admitting they're failing."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Alexander Monir posted world leaders promised to protect thirty percent of the planet by 2030. Britain on track to meet three of twenty-three targets. With a 'ha ha!' at the end."},{"host":"Brian","text":"The 'ha ha' is doing a lot of work there."},{"host":"Bella","text":"It's an editorial take, not exactly a checkable fact. But the underlying failure is real. Big pledges, small outcomes."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Every decade, same story. Leaders fly to a summit, promise to save the planet, fly home, forget the targets."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Turns out saving thirty percent of the planet is harder than signing a piece of paper."},{"host":"Brian","text":"That's the thing about promises — they don't plant trees."}]}