APEC Ends in Disarray After U.S.-China Dispute Over Final Statement

Jason Scott

Dandan Li

, and

Toluse Olorunnipa

November 18, 2018, 2:15 AM EST Updated on November 18, 2018, 6:03 PM EST

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World leaders pose for a "family photo" during the APEC Summit in Port Moresby on Nov. 18. Photographer: Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

An Asia-Pacific summit ended in tumult after the U.S. and China failed to agree on language in a final statement, the latest sign that a trade war between the world’s biggest economies won’t end anytime soon.

For the first time since leaders began attending the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in 1993, no statement was issued after two days of talks in Papua New Guinea. The Pacific island nation’s prime minister, Peter O’Neill, blamed “two big giants in the room” for the discord.