Security Tight in San Francisco for APEC Summit, Anticipated Biden-Xi Bilateral
The week-long Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit has begun in San Francisco. TaiwanPlus is on the ground at the Moscone Center with the latest.
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00:00 Redeeming itself as a safe place for business.
00:04 For months, San Francisco has been prepping to host world leaders and captains of industry
00:09 for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, the regional trade summit that's
00:14 expected to draw some 20,000 people to the city.
00:18 It's the largest international gathering here since the signing of the United Nations Charter
00:22 in the 1940s, and the stakes couldn't be higher.
00:26 The global economy is still recovering from the pandemic, with supply chains further disrupted
00:31 by the war in Ukraine and the Middle East.
00:34 There's also the intense rivalry between the U.S. and China, causing growing mistrust and
00:39 instability between the two superpowers.
00:41 "Now, the challenge, though, is to convene a forum with APEC that focuses on economic
00:49 integration and economic cooperation, but not getting bogged down with security concerns."
00:58 APEC is a unique grouping of 21 member economies of differing political ideologies, aiming
01:04 to foster more trade and collaboration in and along the Pacific Rim.
01:09 Together, they account for over 60 percent of global GDP, almost 40 percent of the world's
01:14 population, and close to half of global trade.
01:18 It's an important region for both Washington and Beijing, which is why all eyes are on
01:23 an expected face-to-face meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and China's President
01:27 Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit.
01:30 It would be just the second time for the two to meet since Biden took office in 2021.
01:35 U.S.-China relations have been deteriorating as Washington's cut off Beijing from its advanced
01:41 tech, and Beijing's ceased military exchanges last summer after then-U.S. House Speaker
01:46 Nancy Pelosi visited self-ruled Taiwan, which China sees as part of its territory.
01:52 "The Chinese will warn the United States that if Taiwan tries to declare some kind
01:58 of independence and tries to move away from the classic one-China policy, that there will
02:03 be problems."
02:04 Though the U.S. doesn't have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the two share similar democratic
02:08 values and deep economic links.
02:11 And this week's APEC summit is a crucial opportunity to build on those, as it's a
02:15 rare international stage self-ruling Taiwan is not blocked from by China.
02:20 But Taiwan is only allowed to send special envoys to APEC, never its president.
02:26 Representing President Tsai Ing-wen again this year is Morris Chang, the 92-year-old
02:30 founder of chip-making giant TSMC, the company that's put in one of the largest foreign investments
02:36 the U.S. has ever seen.
02:39 Chang will be joined by a delegation including Taiwan's top trade negotiator John Deng, who
02:44 says the president's absence will not hurt Taiwan's contributions to APEC.
02:48 "Even with this deficiency to us, our enthusiasm for participating in APEC is not diminished."
03:00 Taiwan and its fellow APEC members will also discuss a host of other issues like climate
03:05 change, clean energy, narcotics and AI safeguards.
03:09 Here in downtown San Francisco, security has been doubling down around the Moscone Center,
03:14 the main venue for this week's conference.
03:16 They already set up steel barricades and blocked certain streets, setting up a perimeter in
03:21 the area.
03:22 They're also restricting certain trains and air traffic around the city.
03:26 With such high stakes and some of the world's most influential leaders coming to town, the
03:31 U.S. as hosts will be counting on things running smoothly, as a reflection of its reliability
03:37 as a partner for the Asia-Pacific.
03:39 Justin Wu and Joyce Sun in San Francisco for Taiwan Plus.
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