US President Joe Biden is meeting Thursday with counterparts from South Korea and Japan, two top US allies, a day after his landmark summit with China’s President Xi Jinping.
The gathering, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum Thursday, offers Biden a chance to brief Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on his hours of discussion with Xi Wednesday.
Biden also hosted APEC leaders for lunch as the confab continues in San Francisco. Observers will be watching whether Xi has his own meetings with Yoon and Kishida. Xi and Biden Wednesday reached a handful of deals to try to address the fentanyl crisis, restore high-level military communications and open a dialogue over artificial intelligence.
The US is the 2023 rotating host for events tied to the 21-member APEC group, which holds annual leaders summits along with other gatherings.
(All time stamps San Francisco, GMT -8)
OpenAI CEO Says Biggest AI Election Risks Are Unknown (6 p.m.)
OpenAI Inc. Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman said artificial intelligence poses as-yet-unknown risks when it comes to elections.
“The dangerous thing is not really what we understand, the existing images and videos, but it’s all the new stuff,” Altman said during a panel at APEC Thursday. The as-yet-unknown risks could include possible innovations in personalized persuasion. “We don’t fully understand how it will work,” he said.
Altman, who has been vocal about the need for government oversight of AI, said that big regulatory changes weren’t needed for current versions of the technology, but would be soon. -Shirin Ghaffary and Aisha Counts
Blinken Downplays Viral Clip of Reaction to Biden’s Dictator Remark (5:30 p.m.)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken downplayed a viral video clip of him visibly reacting when Biden reiterated his statement that Xi was a “dictator” during a press conference following Wednesday’s summit between the two leaders.
“The president always speaks candidly and he speaks for all of us,” Blinken said in an interview Thursday with CBS News. “It’s clear that we will continue to say things and continue to do things that China doesn’t like, just as I assume that they will continue to do and say things that we don’t like.”
China’s Foreign Ministry denounced Biden’s statement as irresponsible during a press briefing on Thursday, according to Reuters. Biden made a similar comment earlier this year shortly following a trip by Blinken to Beijing, also earning condemnation from Chinese leaders. -Justin Sink
Biden Hails ‘Record Time’ on Asia-Pacific Economic Deal (5:10 p.m.)
Speaking at an event on the sidelines of the APEC summit, Biden said Thursday that negotiators from the US and 13 partner countries made “record time” in substantially reaching agreement on three areas of a trade and economic pact created by his administration.
The US and its partners earlier Thursday announced the completion of talks on two more parts of the pact, known as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. This adds to a deal on supply chains announced earlier this year, though the final part of the framework on trade has become bogged down.
The two “pillars” finished this week are on clean economy, which focuses on the transition to renewable energy and fighting climate change, and a fair economy, which includes taxation and corruption issues. It marks the most significant American economic engagement in the region since President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2017, although it doesn’t reduce tariffs like a traditional free-trade agreement. -Eric Martin
Trudeau and Xi Have ‘Cordial’ Exchange, Canada Official Says (4 p.m.)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Chinese counterpart exchanged a “brief hello” at the APEC summit, “as any leaders would do,” an official with Canada’s government said.
The official described the quick exchange as “cordial.” The two leaders did not have a pull-aside conversation on the sidelines of the summit, which Canada’s ambassador to Japan earlier said would be a “good thing.”
The exchange marks the first time the leaders have spoken since the G-20 summit in Bali last year, when Xi chastised Trudeau for allegedly leaking details of a prior meeting.
Canada’s relationship with China has been strained for years, reaching a nadir in 2018 when China detained two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, in apparent retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a US extradition warrant. -Laura Dhillon Kane
Japan’s Kishida and South Korea’s Yoon Discuss North Korea (3:20 p.m.)
The leaders of Japan and South Korea met on the sidelines of the APEC summit and talked over issues of concern, including North Korea’s continued nuclear and missile activities, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The meeting was the seventh this year and comes as the two have stepped up their military cooperation with the US. Kishida and Yoon are scheduled to appear at Stanford University on Friday to discuss issues such as clean energy and startup innovation.
A Trudeau-Xi Meeting Would Be a ‘Good Thing,’ Canada’s McKay Says (3:05 p.m.)
It would be a “good thing” if Trudeau had a pull-aside conversation with Xi while in San Francisco for APEC, Canada’s ambassador to Japan said Thursday.
Ian McKay told reporters the two leaders have “a lot to discuss” and there is a pathway forward for the relationship. Tensions flared earlier this year when each country expelled one of the other’s diplomats over allegations of Chinese interference in Canadian democracy.
Wednesday’s Xi-Biden summit sent a positive signal that there may be a reset in perspectives and a willingness to engage in more consistent, realistic ways, the ambassador said.
The two were positioned next to each other during a “family photo” of APEC leaders, and Trudeau nodded in Xi’s direction, but no other public interactions took place. -Laura Dhillon Kane
Xi Pledges ‘Heart-Warming’ Steps to Attract Foreign Investors (1:25 p.m.)
In a written speech published Thursday the Chinese leader pledged to take steps to improve conditions for foreign businesses and said his nation would continue to provide “equal and quality services” to international companies.
“We will also take more ‘heart-warming’ measures, such as improving the policies on entry and stay of foreign nationals in China,” he said.
The APEC CEO summit announced earlier in the day Xi would not be able to attend the event in person, and would instead deliver written remarks. -Jacob Gu
Biden Calls Global Warming an ‘Existential Threat’ (12:52 p.m.)
Biden told APEC leaders they needed to take responsibility for addressing global warming, which he warned was an “existential threat“ to their economies and people.
“We’re responsible for the largest share of global emissions, so we must also bear responsibility for the solutions while we still have time to change course,“ Biden said at the opening of what was billed as an informal working lunch with other leaders. The US president said the impacts of climate change were being felt the most by developing countries that had contributed the least to the problem.
Biden called on world leaders to join him providing international climate financing, fight deforestation - including in the Amazon - and pledge to reduce emissions of methane and hydrofluorocarbons. -Justin Sink
US Opts Against Providing Special Outfits for Group Photo (12:37 p.m.)
One of the APEC summit’s most enduring traditions was skipped Thursday, when the US decided not to provide special outfits for world leaders gathered for the “family photo.“
There’s a long history of leaders donning local garb - like bright silk outfits in Beijing or white barong tagalog shirts in Indonesia - for the group photo, dating back to when former President Bill Clinton offered leather bombardier jackets at the 1993 gathering.
But sometimes leaders decline the offered apparel. Former President Barack Obama decided against having the assembly wear aloha shirts during the 2011 summit in Hawaii, and Japan didn’t provide outfits in 1995 or 2010. For this year’s shot in San Francisco, leaders wore their usual conference attire. -Justin Sink
Biden Tells Corporate Leaders Stable US-China Ties Benefit World (11:55 a.m.)
Biden said the world expects the US and China to better manage their competition, making the case for sustained US involvement in the Asia-Pacific region.
“A stable relationship between the world’s two largest economies is not only good for the two economies but for the world,” Biden said Thursday at the CEO session at APEC.
While Biden called his discussions with Xi “constructive,” he acknowledged the economic tensions between the two countries, noting that “we have real differences with Beijing when it comes to maintaining a fair and level playing field and protecting your intellectual property.” -Michelle Jamrisko
Biden to Meet With Leaders of Top Allies Japan, South Korea (11:28 a.m.)
Biden will meet Thursday with President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, offering an opportunity to brief his closest Asian allies a day after his summit with the Chinese president.
The meeting, at 4:10 p.m. San Francisco time, will occur on the sidelines of the APEC summit. It is the first gathering of the trio since they gathered at Camp David in August, where the countries agreed to deepen military cooperation and coordinate a response to Chinese aggression in the South China Sea.
Kishida and Biden are also expected to attend an event Thursday to unveil completed pillars of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity, an effort to improve investment and trade in the Asia Pacific region. -Justin Sink
Xi Desperate for US Capital Amid Slowdown, Emanuel Says (10:13 a.m.)
Xi needs US capital because of mistakes at home that have hurt China’s economic growth, the Biden administration’s outspoken ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, said.
“President Xi is desperate for American investment because he has made a series of economic decisions and political decisions — arresting people — where capital is fleeing” for the US, Emanuel said on Bloomberg Television on the sidelines of APEC meetings in San Francisco.
Emanuel said it was striking that Xi skipped a reception of APEC leaders in favor of a dinner where he urged leading US companies to invest. Xi got a standing ovation from CEOs who “literally have their R&D, their intellectual property, stolen from them,” Emanuel said. -Iain Marlow and Annmarie Hordern
US Presents Global Labor Strategy With Eye on Worker Rights (9:46 a.m.)
Top US officials presented the Biden administration’s global labor strategy on the sidelines of APEC. Biden signed a new presidential memorandum Thursday on advancing new labor rights internationally, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said at an event in San Francisco.
The strategy was presented by Blinken, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su.
“What this does is it formally recognizes that labor rights are key to our national security and to our foreign policy,” Blinken said. Tai said that “in an interconnected economy, the rights of workers around the world impact workers in the United States, too.” -Viktoria Dendrinou
Jokowi Says Now is Time to Invest in Indonesia (9:15 a.m.)
Indonesian President Joko Widodo addressed the APEC CEO summit and urged business leaders to invest in his country, saying it presented strong opportunities in green technologies.
He said Indonesia is in the process of building an integrated system for electric vehicles and aims to produce 600,000 electric cars in 2030. “Indonesia is your best partner for business,” he said. -Jon Herskovitz
Pro-Palestinian Protesters Halt Bridge Traffic During APEC (9:09 a.m.)
Pro-Palestinian activists successfully halted westbound traffic on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge, causing a large vehicle backup, according to the California Highway Patrol and social media posts.
Law enforcement is on the scene and there is no expected time for reopening the bridge, which is a key connection between Oakland and San Francisco, an official with the California Highway Patrol said.
Protesters held banners calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war and an end to US military aid to Israel, according to social media posts. -Eliyahu Kamisher
Elon Musk No Longer on List of APEC Speakers Thursday (8:39 a.m.)
Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk is no longer on Thursday’s lineup of APEC speakers, after he had been scheduled to speak in an afternoon session of the CEO summit program along with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff to discuss the future of AI.
As of Thursday morning, Musk was replaced with John Kerry, Biden’s special envoy for climate.
“Musk had a schedule change that prevented him from joining the APEC CEO Summit 2023,” the forum said. “We’re thankful for his offer to join the session remotely, however it was agreed among all speakers that participation would be in person. We look forward to Elon joining us at a future APEC CEO Summit.”
The change came hours after Musk endorsed an antisemitic post on X, the social media site he owns. Responding to an X user on Wednesday who said that it’s unfair to make generalizations about Jewish communities promoting hatred toward white people, Musk wrote that the person was “right that this does not extend to all Jewish communities, but it is also not just limited to ADL.”
SpaceX, which is also run by Musk, is scheduled to launch its groundbreaking Starship rocket early Friday morning in Texas. -Gabrielle Coppola, Tyler Kendall and Shirin Ghaffary
Canada-India Trade Talks Still on Hold Amid Spat (Wednesday evening)
Canada’s trade talks with India will remain on hold pending an investigation into the murder of a Sikh activist in British Columbia, the nation’s trade minister, Mary Ng said.
Canada paused the talks this summer with little public explanation, a few weeks before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of orchestrating the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian advocating for an independent Sikh homeland.
Ng said she wasn’t confirming a link between the pause in trade talks and the allegation against India. But she told reporters on the sidelines of APEC that “you’ve heard me and and the government talk about how important it is that that investigation happens” into the murder of Singh — “a Canadian killed on Canadian soil.”
“So we’ll let that happen,” she said. -Laura Dhillon Kane
