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Pacific Rim Bureau (CNSNews.com) - Demonstrators protesting the Iraq war clashed with police in the Chilean capital Wednesday. The protests came as ministers from 21 Asia-Pacific nations discussed security and trade issues ahead of a weekend summit that marks President Bush's first trip abroad since his re-election.

Chile's government said it was deploying some 4,000 police in Santiago, where riot police used tear gas and water cannon against several hundred demonstrators on Wednesday.

More protest marches targeting Bush and the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit are planned for Thursday and Friday, according to Chilean left-wing websites, which depict images of protestors throwing petrol-bombs along with posters calling Bush "the world's number one terrorist."

Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, who has authorized one march scheduled for Friday, urged protestors to behave in a "civilized manner."

APEC leaders will gather on Saturday and Sunday, following three days of trade talks among foreign ministers.

The summit will provide Bush with the opportunity to encourage and thank allies in the coalition, particularly Japan and South Korea, whose leaders are under strong domestic pressure over troop deployments to Iraq.

Bush plans to hold bilateral meetings on the summit sidelines with several heads of state, including the leaders of China, South Korea, Japan and possibly Russia.

All four of those countries have been engaged in discussions along with the U.S. and North Korea over Pyongyang's controversial nuclear weapons programs.

The summit is expected to urge North Korea to return to the six-party talks, but differences may emerge. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun recently has made comments interpreted as criticism of the U.S. approach to the crisis.

APEC, whose members account for roughly half of the world's trade, has focused on economic issues since its first meeting in 1989. For years the grouping been working on an ambitious program aimed at reducing tariffs among its developed members by 2010; and among its developing members by 2020.

But the three summits since the 9/11 attacks have seen the agenda progressively widen to include issues relating to terrorism and security, and the 2004 meeting is no exception.

Apart from the North Korean issue, a White House officials said in briefings this week that Bush would press APEC partners on agreements relating to "eliminating the weapons of mass destruction, eliminating transnational terrorist groups, and addressing other terrorist threats."

Commitments on these issues were made at last year's summit, in Bangkok, and the official said that securing "concrete implementation" would be a priority at Santiago.

Southeast Asia has been particularly affected by Islamic terrorism, with countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines having emerged both as havens for extremist groups and targets of attacks.

APEC's counter-terror agenda has also focused on ways to stop the spread of shoulder-fired missiles, known as "man-portable air defense systems" (Manpads), which terrorists could use to shoot down civilian aircraft.

At Bangkok, the leaders agreed to "strengthen our joint efforts to curb terrorist threats against mass transportation and confront the threat posed by terrorists' acquisition of Manpads against international aviation."

Australia, a U.S. ally, said that during the ministers' meetings it would put forward a nuclear non-proliferation proposal urging APEC members to adhere to the U.N. nuclear watchdog's "additional protocol" on exporting and importing nuclear equipment

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said before leaving for Chile that Canberra would push the counter-terrorism agenda, ways of promoting secure trade, and expanded efforts to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, "which is a serious threat to health, security and prosperity of our region."

Economic issues on the ministers' agenda include speeding up trade liberalization efforts.

One APEC leader who will not attend the summit is Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian. Unlike most other international groupings, APEC has admitted Taiwan despite the fact it does not enjoy widespread international diplomatic recognition.

Taiwan gets around China's objections in the case of APEC because it is officially a grouping of "economies" rather than nations. Hong Kong similarly participates as a separate entity to China.

But because Beijing regards Taiwan as a renegade province, Taiwan's political leaders are nevertheless not permitted to participate in the leaders' summits.

Taipei will instead be represented in Santiago by Taiwanese economist and Nobel laureate Lee Yuan-tseh.

Making his debut on the international stage at the summit will be Indonesia's first directly-elected President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is among the leaders scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Bush.

Indonesia's is the world's most populous Muslim country.

APEC members are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the U.S. and Vietnam.

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