Biden to address trade talks with Asia-Pacific leaders over COVID recovery

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Praveen by Menon and Shashwat Awasthi
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will speak to leaders on the Pacific coast on Friday night amid regional trade and geopolitical tensions.
China set the tone for a 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting this week, Xi warned in a video recording on Thursday that the region should not return to Cold War-era tensions.
The comment was seen as a reference to efforts by the United States and its regional allies to see what China sees as an increasingly compelling economic and military impact.
Biden hopes to focus on the rally, which will begin at midnight in New Zealand, the White House said in a statement, adding that it will discuss efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and support global economic recovery.
“The President’s involvement demonstrates the U.S. commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and multilateral cooperation,” the statement said.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has also confirmed that Xi will speak at the meeting via a video link.
Xik will take to the virtual podium by accepting a rare resolution that increased the status and power of the Chinese Communist Party and increased the likelihood of securing an unprecedented third term next year.
The APEC meeting comes ahead of the online summit between Biden and Xi on Monday, as the superpowers seek to prevent growing tensions between the world’s two largest economies from seeking conflict.
APEC is the last multilateral meeting of the year and is followed by a number of meetings, including the G20 summit in Rome and the COP26 climate meeting in Glasgow (Scotland).
APEC was fully in line in 2021 to take tough measures to control the New Zealand pandemic, and political and business leaders stressed the need to decarbonize and sustainably grow the economy in order to tackle COVID-19.
In Friday’s session, German Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated the importance of vaccines in the fight against the pandemic. Afterwards, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern paid tribute to the ousted chancellor.
The APEC summit will be held in Thailand next year.
The U.S. has offered to hold a round of APEC meetings in 2023 for the first time in a decade, although no consensus has been reached on the proposal, officials said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Canadian President Justin Trudeau will also speak at the meeting.
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