APEC, created in 1989 with the goal of regional trade liberalisation, brings up 21 economies that simultaneously reflect about 60 per cent of , world , GDP and over 40 per cent of global business.
On Thursday,  , APEC , officials,  , including , US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, held their own conference behind closed doors in Lima to set the tone for the two-day , summit , to pursue.
The , APEC , plan was to focus on trade and investment for what adherents dubbed inclusive development.
But confusion over Trump’s subsequent moves following his Nov 5 vote victory then clouds the agenda- as it does for the COP29 climate talks underway in Azerbaijan, and a , G20 , summit , in Rio de Janeiro second week.
With the US president-elect having signalled a confrontational approach to Beijing for his next name in the White House, Saturday’s face-to-face between , Xi , and , Biden , will be a carefully watched event.
” AMERICA FIRS T”
The , summit , will also be attended by Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia and Indonesia, among people.
President Vladimir Putin, an APEC , part of Russia did not attend.
Trump’s” America First” plan is characterised by interventionist stances on global business, fossil fuel removal and international conflicts.
It threatens alliances , Biden , had built on problems ranging from the war in Ukraine and the Middle East to weather change and trade.
To balance what he claims is an imbalance in bilateral trade, the Republican president-elect threatened to impose levies of up to 60 % on Chinese products imported.
A new business battle with Washington will just make China’s struggling economy and housing problems worse.
However, according to economists, disciplinary levies may also negatively impact trade and the US economy as well as its neighbors and Europe.