Threats to peace dominate Asia-Pacific leaders' summit - Danbury News Times

KRUTIKA PATHI and ELAINE KURTENBACH, Associated Press

Nov. 18, 2022Updated: Nov. 18, 2022 1:54 a.m.

U.S. officials said Vice President Kamala Harris would conscionable with the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Canada to sermon the rocket launch, the latest of galore specified provocations by North Korea that rise the risks of conflict.

“Geopolitical tensions are detracting from bid and stableness and undermining the rules based planetary order, which we each hold are essential," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told chap leaders of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum who began a two-day acme Friday.

APEC's semipermanent ngo is promoting determination economical integration, but much contiguous exigencies often predominate the agenda. That's existent successful Bangkok, arsenic leaders entreaty for an extremity to Russia's warfare connected Ukraine and see strategies for nursing on economical recoveries from the coronavirus pandemic portion contending with nutrient and vigor crises, the request to chopped the c emissions that origin clime alteration and different urgent tasks.

“The circumstances we look contiguous arsenic economical leaders, aggregate overlapping planetary crises, could not beryllium much pressing arsenic they inundate our region," Albanese said.

Speaking to a concern league connected the sidelines of APEC, French President Emmanuel Macron echoed that telephone for a restoration of the planetary bid and an extremity to confrontation, some successful Ukraine and besides successful Asia, wherever helium said friction betwixt the biggest economies, the U.S. and China, was forcing countries to instrumentality sides.

“There is nary stableness oregon bid but 1 based connected planetary bid and respect," said Macron, who was invited to the APEC acme arsenic a impermanent by the big country, Thailand.

The emergence of Asia to go an motor for planetary maturation owes its occurrence to commercialized “governed by communal rules, planetary rules," Macron said, saying aggregate crises whitethorn person taken the satellite to a “tipping point."

The APEC gathering is the 3rd back-to-back gathering of satellite leaders this week aft the summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations past week successful Cambodia and the Group of 20 starring economies, which wrapped up Wednesday successful Indonesia.

In Bangkok, big Thailand has the situation of trying to span divisions and forge a consensus. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has sought to embed the conception of sustainability into APEC's agenda.

“We request to alteration our ways of beingness and ways of doing business," Prayut said successful opening the leaders' gathering connected Friday focused connected sustainable economical growth.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that helium saw signs of a “convergence" successful views astir however to determination guardant successful solving the world's problems, aft meetings of overseas and commerce ministers up of the summit.

Whether that mightiness alteration Thailand to nutrient a last associated connection aft the summit's closed-door sessions remained to beryllium seen; statement mostly is required among the 21 APEC members, including Russia. None of the earlier APEC preparatory meetings this twelvemonth issued statements owed to disagreements implicit whether to notation the conflict.

But leaders of the Group of 20 did negociate a amusement of unity erstwhile China and India, aft months of refusing to condemn Russia’s warfare successful Ukraine, did not impede the merchandise of a connection that harshly criticized Moscow.

Asked astir the prospects for a amusement of unity, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said helium did not privation to “get ahead" of the talks.

But, “on contented aft contented we’re seeing, arsenic I said, a increasing convergence among the large countries successful the world," helium said.

With some President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin absent, Chinese President Xi Jinping is the prima attendee successful Bangkok.

Speaking Thursday to the concern conference, which was mostly closed to media isolated from outlets sponsoring the event, Xi warned against a “new Cold War" and attempts to dismantle proviso chains built implicit decades.

He called for strengthened practice and advancement successful achieving APEC’s imaginativeness of an unfastened Asia-Pacific economy.

In 1 measurement forward, astir of the APEC portion has afloat reopened to question aft 2 years of often terrible restrictions and borderline controls to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Xi had stayed adjacent to location passim astir of the pandemic, making his archetypal travel extracurricular China since it began lone successful September.

The Chinese system has slowed sharply nether restrictions meant to quash COVID-19 outbreaks that person flared anew: the authorities reported 23,276 caller COVID-19 cases crossed the state Thursday and the confederate metropolis of Guangzhou was readying to physique quarantine facilities with astir 250,000 beds to header with outbreaks.

APEC members relationship for astir 4 of each 10 radical and astir fractional of satellite trade. Much of APEC’s enactment is method and incremental, carried retired by elder officials and ministers, covering areas specified arsenic trade, forestry, health, food, security, tiny and medium-size enterprises and women’s empowerment.

Members besides see Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Apart from the French president, Thailand besides invited Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the premier curate of Saudi Arabia; and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who was to correspond ASEAN but is not attending aft getting COVID-19.

The acme venue, astatine Bangkok’s main normal center, was cordoned disconnected with immoderate streets closed to traffic. Riot constabulary stood defender down barricades astatine a large intersection, underscoring Thailand’s determination to guarantee nary disruptions.

Protesters, who scuffled with constabulary connected Thursday and gathered successful greater numbers astatine different country connected Friday, were kept good astatine bay.

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Associated Press journalists Grant Peck, Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul, Tian McLeod Ji, David Rising, Chisato Tanaka, Jerry Harmer and Tassanee Vejpongsa contributed to this report.