Chinese President Xi Jinping and United States President Joe Biden expected to address leaders of the Pacific Rim on Friday amid geopolitical tensions, COVID-19 recovery, and heightened regional trade. China set the tone for the meeting of the twenty-one-member Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) this week, with the Chinese president warning in a video recording yesterday that the region must not return to the strains of the Cold War era.

The XI remarks took as a reference to efforts by the U.S. and its regional partners to blunt what they observe as the growing military and coercive economic influence of China. Moreover, the White House stated that the U.S. president expected to talk about the meeting that starts at midnight New Zealand time. The statement added that Biden would discuss current efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic and support the international economic recovery.

Biden, China’s Xi expected to meet virtually on Monday: Separately, Biden is expected to address the Asia Pacific Economic Conference leaders’ summit in an online appearance on Friday morning. https://t.co/AIV96lPcTC JPost pic.twitter.com/t6fGeD617v

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Additionally, it said that the participation of the president demonstrates American commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and multidimensional cooperation. The foreign ministry of China also confirmed that Xi would speak at the summit through a video link. Xi will take the virtual stage one day after the ruling Communist Party of China authorized a rare resolution that amplified his authority and status, boosting the possibility of securing an extraordinary 3rd leadership term next year.

Agenda of APEC Meeting

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting comes before a much-projected online conference between President Xi and Biden on Monday, as the superpowers look to curb mounting tensions between the two giant economies of the world from growing toward conflict. APEC is the last multi-lateral summit of 2021 and comes after some significant gatherings, such as the COP26 climate meeting in Glasgow and the high-profile G20 climate summit in Rome.

Because of the hardline COVID-19 pandemic control measures of New Zealand, APEC hosted entirely online in 2021. It saw business and political leaders emphasize the need to combat coronavirus, decarbonize economies and develop sustainably. During a Friday session of APEC, outgoing German chancellor Angela Merkel echoed the importance of vaccinations in the battle against the outbreak. Afterward, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern paid tribute to her.

In 2022, the APEC summit will hold in Thailand. In addition, the U.S. offered to host the APEC meetings of 2023 for the first time in more than a decade, though the officials’ consensus on this proposal has not been reached. Canadian President Justin Trudeau and Russian President Vladimir Putin are also likely to speak at the meeting.

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