Vice President Kamala Harris will represent the United States at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Leaders Meeting on Nov 18-19 in Bangkok, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said yesterday.
She will stand in for President Joe Biden, who will be busy with his granddaughter’s wedding after attending a series of international events in North Africa and Southeast Asia.
The president will visit Egypt on Nov 11 to attend the 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh. He will be in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from Nov 12-13 to participate in the annual US-Asean summit and the East Asia summit.
His last stop in Southeast Asia will be in Bali, Indonesia where he will join the G20 summit from Nov 13-16.
The White House spokeswoman said the Vice President’s participation would underscore the United States commitment to economic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. Ms Harris will outline US goals for its Apec host year in 2023.
Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff will also travel to Bangkok and participate in the Apec spousal programme and a number of other engagements laid on for dignitaries.