French President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed his attendance at Apec Thailand 2022 in Bangkok next month as a special guest of the prime minister, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Meanwhile, both days of the Nov 18-19 summit have been declared public holidays in several provinces around the capital as well as the city itself, in a new cabinet ruling.
Tanee Sangrat, director-general of the ministry’s department of information, said on Wednesday Mr Macron accepted an invitation from Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha on Oct 3 to attend the gathering.
Mr Tanee said it is normal at international summits for the leader of the host country to invite one of his peers from a country or organisation that is not a member of the forum to join as a special guest.
US President Joe Biden said earlier he will skip the Bangkok summit to attend the wedding of his granddaughter at the White House in Washington on Nov 19, with Vice President Kamala Harris possibly filling in as his replacement at the summit.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will also attend if he does not have any unexpected engagements, Mr Tanee said, citing comments by Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi that were passed along by Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pramudwinai.
New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern and Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr, the newly installed president of the Philippines, have also accepted invitations to attend the Apec meet.
Mr Don said the situation pertaining to some other presidents and prime ministers who have been invited must remain confidential for now due to security concerns.
In the meantime, the cabinet on Wednesday decided to schedule public holidays on Nov 18-19 for Bangkok, Samut Prakan and Nonthaburi, which will all serve as locations for various upcoming summits.
All 21 Apec countries will join the Apec Economic Leaders’ Week (AELW) from Nov 14-19, while the private sector is set to host an Apec CEO Summit from Nov 16-18 to discuss investment in Apec member states.