In the past, government and business leaders gathering for meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum had to resort to collective fashion blunders to demonstrate unity. Representatives of this diverse group of 21 Asia-Pacific nations, who together represent roughly 40% of the world's population and 54% of the world's GDP, have bravely donned the traditional dress of the host country, from cowboy hats to ponchos to garishly colored batik shirts, to show that despite their differences, everybody could be made to look a bit ridiculous for a group photo op.
This...