Kamala Harris reaffirms her commitment to Southeast Asia, holds talks with Thailand’s prime minister
US Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to reiterate Washington’s commitment to Southeast Asia during trips to Thailand and the Philippines, a senior administration official told reporters at a briefing earlier this week.
The vice president will address the APEC CEOs’ summit on Friday, where he will outline the White House’s economic agenda for the region.
“The main message of his remarks will be that the United States has an enduring economic commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and that there is no better partner for the economies and companies of the Indo-Pacific countries than the United States,” the official said. said.
On Saturday, Harris will meet with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to discuss issues such as the climate crisis, the transition to clean energy, and Myanmar.
— Lee Ying Shan
China’s Xi Jinping and Japan’s Fumio Kishida will hold face-to-face talks for the first time
President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping delivers a speech at the sixth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in Beijing. The session was held in Beijing from November 8 to November 11.
Ju Peng | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet within the APEC summit.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the two sides will exchange views on China-Japan relations, as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest.
“China and Japan are close neighbors and important countries in the region… Both sides should respond to the trend of the times, strive for peace and friendship, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, manage differences well, and work together. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mao Ning said on Wednesday that China-Japan relations will be built in response to the call of a new era.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also expects to meet with Xi as part of the forum, Reuters reported, citing a government spokeswoman.
— Lee Ying Shan
Saudi-Thai cooperation on food and energy is a “good sign”, says APEC executive director
Saudi Arabia’s commitment to energy investment in Thailand is a “good sign” for diplomatic relations between the two countries, APEC Executive Director Kasemsit Pathomsak told CNBC’s Sri Jegarajah.
In May, state-backed Aramco signed a memorandum of understanding with Thailand’s national oil company to strengthen energy cooperation with Thailand and increase its presence in the region. In the same month, the Saudi Arabian Investment Fund announced that it would use Thailand as a hub for investment in Southeast Asia.
“It’s a good sign…to reconnect at a time when both countries’ economies are big enough and there are a lot of synergies,” Pathomsak said, citing food and energy as areas of potential cooperation.
The deals represent a bid to further thaw relations after the 30-year-old “Blue Diamond Affair” involving the theft of Saudi jewels and the deaths of Saudi diplomats in Thailand. In January, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha became the first Thai head of government to ascend to the throne after the controversy.
— Lee Ying Shan
Cambodia’s Hun Sen tests positive for Covid, will not attend APEC
Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia
Ahn Young-Joon | AFP | Getty Images
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen tested positive for Covid earlier this week and will not attend the APEC summit in Bangkok.
Cambodia’s leader announced on Tuesday that he had tested positive for Covid and was forced to cancel meetings at the G-20 summit in Indonesia to return home early.
— Lee Ying Shan
Biden to skip summit; US Vice President Kamala Harris
US Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Lady Doug Emhoff (L) depart Joint Base Andrews on their way to Thailand for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit on November 16, 2022.
Haiyun Jiang | AFP | Getty Images
US President Joe Biden will not attend the meeting of APEC leaders in Bangkok because he is attending his granddaughter’s wedding. Instead, Vice President Kamala Harris will represent the United States
“The vice president will speak with Thai leaders and civil society representatives to reaffirm and strengthen the US-Thailand alliance and discuss our cooperation on a range of issues,” White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said in an October statement.
Earlier this week, Biden attended the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, where leaders of major economies discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine, the livelihood crisis, supply chain disruptions, and energy and food security.
— Lee Ying Shan
