Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

Trudeau arrives in Golden State for APEC summit in San Francisco

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 15 Nov, 2023 05:15 PM
  • Trudeau arrives in Golden State for APEC summit in San Francisco

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touched down Wednesday in northern California to begin three days of meetings with fellow leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in San Francisco. 

The government's newly acquired Airbus CC-330 taxied to a stop at San Francisco International Airport, where Kirsten Hillman, Canada's ambassador to the U.S., led a coterie of emissaries who greeted the prime minister as he disembarked. 

The iconic motorcycle cops of the California Highway Patrol accompanied the prime minister's motorcade, sirens blaring, to the edge of the security zone where the summit is being held. 

Trudeau's first order of business was a bilateral meeting with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a kindred Liberal spirit whose efforts to combat climate change have made him a prominent and valuable ally. 

From there, Trudeau was to attend a roundtable discussion about food affordability, then appear at an APEC reception hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden later in the day before a welcome dinner with tech leaders. 

U.S. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, was sitting  down with Chinese President Xi Jinping in an effort to defuse a year of international tensions, a meeting widely seen as the focal point of the summit. 

Reports suggest the two leaders were working on a deal to resume bilateral military communications and keeping artificial intelligence out of their respective nuclear defence systems. 

Trudeau, meanwhile, will be aiming for tangible progress on policy priorities in the Indo-Pacific, during bilateral meetings with fellow APEC leaders.

Federal officials say at least two bilateral economic initiatives with key Indo-Pacific partners will be on Canada's "deliverables" list. 

The absence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also makes it unlikely there will be much drama surrounding Trudeau's allegations of a link between agents of India's government and the June shooting death of a prominent Sikh leader in B.C. 

"Modi is not there, so India is not there," said Andreas Schotter, an associate business professor at Western University.

"It's been reported as giving the prime minister a chance to avoid the discussion about the issue, but I don't think it's a good thing. I think a meeting would have been better than avoiding it."

There's still plenty of important work for Canada to do at APEC, officials say: It's vital to be at the table in a part of the world where the decisions that are made are likely to affect Canadians for generations. 

The main goals for Trudeau include deeper collaboration with APEC nations that will foster middle-class growth and healthy regional competition, all with an eye toward advancing the fight against climate change. 

Officials say Trudeau will promote new Canadian efforts to foster more efficient food production and healthier supply chains, as well as removing trade barriers with countries in the Pacific Rim.  

The region accounts for about half of the world's merchandise trade, and is the destination for more than 88 per cent of Canadian exports. APEC's merchandise exports and imports alike now both exceed US$12 trillion annually.  

Canada's share of that pie reached $1.3 trillion last year, an increase of 22 per cent, thanks to partners that include the U.S., China, Mexico, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. 

The summit comes one year after the Liberal government launched a new $2.3-billion Indo-Pacific strategy aimed at fortifying regional alliances as a hedge against China's expansive power. 

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Over 1600 weekend incidents: VPD

Over 1600 weekend incidents: VPD
Vancouver police say officers responded to more than one-thousand-600 incidents over the weekend, fuelled in part by multiple demonstrations across the city. Sergeant Steve Addison says recent geopolitical events have driven the protests, and police will continue to deploy extra officers to manage the situations as they arise.  

Over 1600 weekend incidents: VPD

Pedestrian death in Kelowna

Pedestrian death in Kelowna
Mounties are investigating the death of a pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle in Kelowna's Rutland neighbourhood over the weekend. Police say they believe the death on Saturday afternoon is related to an earlier event where officers responded to a complaint of a group of teens using bear spray on people. 

Pedestrian death in Kelowna

B.C. Premier Eby says Surrey must talk with province about police transition costs

B.C. Premier Eby says Surrey must talk with province about police transition costs
B.C. Premier David Eby says it's time for the City of Surrey and the province to talk about the extra money the city says it needs to replace the RCMP with a local police force.  Eby says the provincial government's $150-million contribution to cover transition costs remains on the table, but there will be no more.   

B.C. Premier Eby says Surrey must talk with province about police transition costs

Body found in Langley explosion

Body found in Langley explosion
A body has been found by firefighters at the scene of an explosion in Langley and the province's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is now investigating. Mounties and firefighters responded to an explosion at a house in rural Langley on Sunday afternoon.

Body found in Langley explosion

Five youth, one adult taken to hospitals after school bus rolls over north of Calgary

Five youth, one adult taken to hospitals after school bus rolls over north of Calgary
Six people have been transported to hospital after a collision involving a school bus in central Alberta. An RCMP officer from Didsbury, about 82 kilometres north of Calgary, came across the school bus rollover on Highway 2A at Township Road 320, police said Monday. 

Five youth, one adult taken to hospitals after school bus rolls over north of Calgary

B.C. to remove barriers for internationally trained professionals: premier

B.C. to remove barriers for internationally trained professionals: premier
The British Columbia government has introduced legislation that is expected to add skilled workers into the labour force more quickly by reducing barriers for internationally trained professionals. Premier David Eby says B.C. cannot leave people with skills and experience on the sidelines, given labour shortages the province is facing now and in the coming years.

B.C. to remove barriers for internationally trained professionals: premier