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☆ Geopolitics to stay in focus at APEC summit in Thailand
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Delegates walk inside the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center where the APEC summit will be held, in Bangkok, Thailand, November 14, 2022. On the sidelines, Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to have bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later in the day. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are among those also attending the main meeting. Host Indonesia said the Ukraine war had been the most contentious issue at the summit in Bali. He was represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the G20 and First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov will stand in for him at APEC.

☆ Qatar 2022: ‘Sport should not be politicized,’ France’s Macron says ahead of World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Martin Goillandeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —“Sport should not be politicized,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, three days before the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. “It should be when hosting the event is decided, whether it is the World Cup or the Olympic Games, that we must honestly ask ourselves the question. “And whether the question is on the climate or human rights, it is not necessary to ask it when the event comes. The 2022 World Cup has attracted controversy ever since it was awarded to Qatar, with concerns over human rights, treatments of migrant workers and the environment. A report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) published in October documented alleged cases of beatings and sexual harassment.

☆ The world needs more economic alliances than security ones, analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Su-Lin Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Countries should strike up more economic alliances than security and defense ones, as those could make the world "more dangerous," the president of the Center for China and Globalization said on Tuesday. The U.S. for example, could consider joining — or "re-joining" — the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Henry Wang said at the SALT iConnections conference in Singapore. "The U.S. is the vibe of globalization and [has] always taken the lead on globalization," Wang said. Wang added that there should be more economic alliances and fewer security ones such as the AUKUS, Five Eyes and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, an informal strategic alliance. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership is a multilateral trade deal signed in 2018 that was formed after the United States, under the Trump administration, withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

☆ Exclusive: Kamala Harris to visit Philippine island at edge of South China Sea dispute
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The visit, scheduled for next Tuesday, will make Harris the highest-ranking American official to visit the island chain adjacent to the Spratly Islands. Beijing claims some territories in the waters off Palawan and much of the South China Sea as part of China, citing domestic historical maps. Harris' trip marks her second to Asia in three months and follows Biden's week-long trip to the region. The Harris trip also includes a stop in Thailand for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders meeting. During her last trip to the region, Harris accused China of actions to "coerce and intimidate" neighbors.

☆ Australia's Albanese talks briefly with China's Li, prompting talk of summit -media
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke briefly with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at a regional summit in Cambodia, Australian media said on Sunday, sparking some expectations of a formal summit with President Xi Jinping. Albanese and Li spoke on arrival at a gala on the sidelines of the summit in Phnom Penh of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. The discussion raised the prospect of a potential Albanese-Xi meeting at the summit of the Group of 20 big economies in Indonesia on Monday. The last bilateral summit was in 2019 when Albanese's predecessor, Scott Morrison, met Xi at a G20 meeting, according to Australia's foreign ministry. Albanese's office said last week he will attend that meeting and a subsequent summit in Bangkok of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group.

☆ Biden says won't veer into conflict with China, as first summit ends in Asia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Addressing the East Asia Summit in Cambodia, Biden said the United States would compete with China and speak out over its human rights record, but stressed the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait and ensuring freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. On China, Biden told the summit that "the United States will compete vigorously.... while keeping lines of communication open and ensuring competition does not veer into conflict," the White House said in a statement. Eighteen countries accounting for half the global economy attended Sunday's East Asia Summit, including the ASEAN nations, Japan, South Korea, China, India, the United States, Russia, Australia and New Zealand. "The United States and its NATO allies are trying to master this space," Lavrov told a news conference in Phnom Penh. Like ally the United States, Australia's ties with China have also deteriorated in recent years.

☆ Japan's Kishida calls for constructive relations in talks with China's Li
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister told Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday he hoped the two countries could strive toward building a "constructive and stable" relationship, Japan's foreign ministry said on Saturday. In a speech at the ASEAN plus 3 meeting, Kishida reiterated Japan's view that North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches, including one that flew over Japan, were a clear and serious threat to the international community, and unacceptable. He also called for cooperation among the countries in achieving a complete dismantling of North Korea's ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction. Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported Kishida was making final arrangements to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the APEC meeting in Bangkok. Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden in Cambodia as global leaders join Southeast Asian summit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden is greeted upon his arrival at the Phnom Penh International Airport to attend the 2022 ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, November 12, 2022. Cambodia is hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) annual summit and a parallel East Asian Summit, with the regional bloc engaging with a host of leaders. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol met ASEAN leaders on Friday. "President Trump didn't attend a single East Asian Summit during four years in office," said Greg Poling, head of the Southeast Asia programme at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies. ASEAN leaders on Friday issued a "warning" to Myanmar to make measurable progress on a peace plan or risk being barred from the bloc's meetings, as social and political chaos escalates in the country.

☆ Biden says U.S.-ASEAN pact to address 'biggest issues of our time'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/8] U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the 2022 ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, November 12, 2022. In his first visit to Southeast Asia as president, Biden said the region was at the heart of his administration's Indo-Pacific strategy and Washington was committing resources, not just rhetoric, under a new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. ASEAN is engaging a host of leaders, including Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. At the gatherings, Biden will focus on the Indo-Pacific region and talk about U.S. commitment to a rules-based order in the South China Sea, a senior administration official said earlier this week. Biden on Saturday said the meetings would discuss Russia's "brutal" war against Ukraine and U.S. efforts to address the war's global impact.

☆ Biden faces scrutiny about America's future as he heads abroad
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Peter Nicholas | Peter Nicholas Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

For the world leaders meeting with Biden over the next week, there’s no assurance that he'll be the president they’ll be dealing with for the next six years. The U.S. is unnerved by Chinese military exercises that threaten Taiwan and raise the specter of a future invasion. “Tuesday was a good day for America, a good day for democracy,” Biden said Thursday at a Democratic National Committee event. Another reason that Biden might find the trip more gratifying is that he averted the midterm wipeout that sitting presidents normally endure. Biden’s midterm test went much better.

The two leaders will meet on Monday, the White House said, for their first face-to-face meeting since Biden became president, amid low expectations for significant breakthroughs. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan announced the plan to brief Taiwan about the talks on Thursday, telling reporters the United States aimed to make Taiwan feel "secure and comfortable" about U.S. support. China is firmly opposed to it," Zhao told a regular briefing, shortly after the ministry announced that Xi would meet Biden and also attend the G20 meeting and a later APEC summit next week. U.S. President Joe Biden speaks virtually with Chinese leader Xi Jinping from the White House in Washington, U.S. November 15, 2021. Biden and Xi last met in person when Biden was vice president during the Obama administration.

☆ Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend G-20 summit in Indonesia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia next week, an Indonesian government official said Thursday, avoiding a possible confrontation with the United States and its allies over his war in Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders are to attend the two-day summit in Bali that starts Nov. 15. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the Chief of Support for G-20 events told reporters in Denpasar, Indonesia, that Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will lead the Russian delegation. Biden will attend ASEAN and the G-20 while Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to APEC. Putin’s decision not to attend the G-20 comes as Russia’s forces in Ukraine have suffered significant setbacks.

☆ ASEAN summit begins with Myanmar likely to dominate agenda; 'little progress expected'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Cambodian Prime Minister and ASEAN host Hun Sen addressed Friday's opening ceremony with a call for vigilance and wisdom during times of economic and geopolitical turmoil. The junta has blamed a lack of progress on the pandemic and obstruction from armed resistance movements that it calls terrorists. James Crabtree, Executive Director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies-Asia, said ASEAN was struggling to cope with internal divisions over Myanmar and other issues. One Western diplomat who will attend the meeting said that while the bloc may try to make the Myanmar peace plan more action-oriented, "little progress is expected". G20 leaders are meeting in Bali next week and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum will take place in Bangkok after that.

☆ Biden to attend summit of Southeast Asian leaders as Myanmar looms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

BANGKOK — Southeast Asian leaders convene in the Cambodian capital Thursday, faced with the challenge of trying to curtail escalating violence in Myanmar while the country’s military-led government shows no signs of complying with the group’s peace plan. U.S. President Joe Biden will be on hand for the Phnom Penh summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which comes as Washington and Beijing are increasingly jockeying for influence in the Asia-Pacific region. In addition to Myanmar, the four-day meetings are expected to focus on ongoing disputes in the South China Sea, pandemic recovery issues, regional trade and climate change. Neither Xi nor Putin is expected to attend the ASEAN talks or the parallel East Asia Summit, though both China and Russia are thought to be sending high-level delegations. “For Southeast Asia it’s really important to physically show up, and I think the Americans are very aware of this,” Daniel said.

☆ Australia's Albanese says it would be positive if meeting arranged with China's Xi
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Alasdair Pal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday a meeting with China's President Xi Jinping it would be a positive development after years of strained relations between the two countries. Albanese is set to attend the G20 summit in Bali, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok and the East Asia Summit in Cambodia, his office said on Wednesday. "I've made it very clear that dialogue is a good thing, and if a meeting is arranged with Xi, then that would be a positive thing," Albanese told a news conference in Canberra. read moreThe leaders of the two countries last met when Albanese's predecessor Scott Morrison met Xi at the G20 in 2019, according to Australia's foreign ministry. read moreBoth countries should work to rebuild trust and put their relationship back on the right track, a statement from China's foreign ministry quoted Wang as saying.

☆ Yellen heads to India to draw surging economic power closer to U.S. orbit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

On the contrary, the official told reporters that India will benefit from the cap's lower prices. TENSIONS, ALIGNMENTBut the economic relationship has challenges, including trade disputes over U.S. steel duties and India's retaliatory tariffs on Harley-Davidson (HOG.N) motorcycles. Differences over digital trade and India's data localization rules have dogged trade negotiations for years. "That's a message that's extremely appealing to India," said Richard Rossow, an India expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. The Treasury official said the two democracies were committed "to upholding the rules-based international order at a critical time for the cause of freedom."

☆ Economies in Asia have the tools to manage economic headwinds, U.S. deputy Treasury secretary says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Su-Lin Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Thailand's finance minister, speaks at the meeting of finance ministers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Bangkok on Oct. 20, 2022. Andre Malerba | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesAsian economies are well-equipped to withstand economic headwinds next year, the U.S. Treasury said following the conclusion of the APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting in Thailand last week. During the two-day meeting, finance ministers in Asia-Pacific also pledged not to adjust exchange rates for competitive purposes, recognizing that "excessive volatility or disorderly movements in exchange rates can have adverse implications for economic and financial stability." He added that U.S. legislation such as the CHIPS Act could help the region generate economic activity. "Ultimately I have come away from with a sense that the economies in this region have the tools to manage through the headwinds that they face": Wally Adeyemo Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

☆ U.S. Treasury's Adeyemo heads to APEC meeting with focus on trade, 'resilience'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Adeyemo, who has led work on U.S. sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, will represent the United States when the Asian Economic Cooperation (APEC) finance ministers meet in Bangkok on Wednesday and Thursday, Treasury said. He will also meet with Thailand's Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith. The newly relaunched G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) and U.S. efforts to build up supply chains with trusted partners were also on the agenda. "While the U.S. economy remains resilient in the face of these headwinds, the Deputy Secretary will work with partners to increase resilience in their economies," it said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Canada’s exports to countries in mega trade deal grew in 'tremendously difficult' times: Minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Su-Lin Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Over the weekend, ministers and senior officials from all member countries met in Singapore for their sixth meeting to review the progress of the agreement. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership is a multilateral trade deal signed in 2018 that was formed after the United States withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Claudio Reyes | Afp | Getty ImagesThe U.S. has not shown interest in rejoining the trade deal. Over the weekend, member countries discussed the bloc's progress, resolved to maintain global trade and counter protectionism. Member countries agreed to mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities and promote the integration of small- and medium-sized enterprises in global supply chains.

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