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Bush arrives in Shanghai for APEC

'We are a nation that is strong and resolved and united,' Bush said before leaving the United States

SHANGHAI, China (CNN) -- U.S. President George W. Bush has landed in China on his first trip abroad since the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The president was in Shanghai for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, where he is sure to keep the anti-terror fight high on the agenda.

The U.S. president will soon make his case face-to-face with leaders of the 21-member group for the United States' continued airstrikes over Afghanistan.

VIDEO CNN's John King reports that U.S. President George W. Bush will proceed with plans to attend the APEC conference in Shanghai, China (October 16) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)    CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

While trade is usually the centerpiece of the annual meeting between the leaders of the Asian and Pacific countries, the forum will give Bush a chance to talk to some of the most crucial nations in a fragile global anti-terror coalition.

"Of course, we'll talk about economics and trade," Bush said in a speech to military personnel and their families at Travis Air Force Base in California, before boarding Air Force One for his five-day stay in China.

"But the main thing that will be on my mind is to continue to rally the world against terrorists."

Bush has said he will remind other leaders at the forum that "evil knows no borders, no boundaries. And remind them that we must take a stand. That those of us who've been given the responsibility of high office must not shirk from our duty."

Some key economies, such as Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, are attending the meeting and they could be crucial in helping to freeze terrorist assets and combat money-laundering practices.

Other Asian countries with huge Muslim populations and with terrorist groups that reportedly have links to prime terrorist suspect, Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network, could also be key in the fight.

The Philippines, for example, is the base for the Abu Sayyaf rebels, a militant group believed to have ties to bin Laden, whose assets the Bush administration has already targeted.

Others, such as China and Russia, could provide the United States with critical intelligence information.

"It's a whole panoply in what is a very, of course, large-scale and broad-scale attack on terrorism," National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said this week in a briefing to reporters on APEC.

'Like cutting out a cancer'

U.S. National Secuity Adviser Rice, says getting rid of terror is like 'cutting out a cancer'

Bush has said the war on terrorism -- and, in particular, on al Qaeda, which is believed to be active in dozens of countries -- will be fought on many fronts until the network is decimated.

To that end, Rice said, the focus will be on working with countries where al Qaeda is active.

"What we want to do … is to work with every government in which there is a substantial al Qaeda presence to figure out a strategy for rooting it out," Rice said.

"Because it's like cutting out a cancer now in 60-plus countries; you've got to get to these cells and root them out and disrupt them before they strike again."

Bush could face some resistance in his efforts. Leaders in Indonesia and Malaysia, for example, have condemned the U.S.-led airstrikes in Afghanistan.

Indonesia -- the most populous Muslim country in the world -- has been the site of anti-U.S. protests in recent days.

The United States supports a draft statement being circulated at APEC that American officials say they hope all 21 members will back.

The declaration calls for members to "unequivocally condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, as a profound threat to the peace, prosperity and security of all people, of all faiths, of every nation."

Secretary of State Colin Powell, also attending the forum, is to participate Thursday in a breakfast meeting in which the only topic will be combating terrorism.

"I think we'll come out with a pretty strong joint statement that will reflect the cohesion of the coalition that it is standing together in this time of crisis," Powell told reporters traveling with him from India to Shanghai.

The statement is expected to be released Sunday at the summit's end. The draft also says APEC leaders will commit to stronger international cooperation to crack down on money laundering and to a broader "anti-terrorist regime."

Bush to meet with Jiang, Putin

Bush also plans a series of one-on-one meetings with more than a half-dozen leaders during his trip, including President Jiang Zemin of China and Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

"There will be different conversations with different nations about what they think, about the future of Afghanistan, about their efforts in the coalition, their financial efforts, for example, in seizing assets or shutting down banks or entities that fund the al Qaeda organization," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Tuesday.

U.S. officials describe security precautions at APEC as extraordinary and are praising Chinese officials for their cooperation in the preparations, including permission for the U.S. Air Force to escort Air Force One into Chinese airspace.

APEC's members include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.