Close X
Saturday, November 30, 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

Air quality advisory lifted for most of Metro Vancouver

Air quality advisory lifted for most of Metro Vancouver
An air quality advisory covering most of the Vancouver area has been lifted. The Metro Vancouver Regional District says a change in weather has reduced the amount of fine particulate matter in the air coming from wildfire smoke in the B-C Interior.

Air quality advisory lifted for most of Metro Vancouver

Structural losses from wildfires in West Kelowna area estimated at fewer than 90

Structural losses from wildfires in West Kelowna area estimated at fewer than 90
Premier David Eby was scheduled to visit the fire-ravaged southern Interior on Tuesday, along with Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma and Forests Minister Bruce Ralston, to get a first-hand look at the devastation caused by the raging wildfires. 

Structural losses from wildfires in West Kelowna area estimated at fewer than 90

Firearms charges against US man

Firearms charges against US man
The Canada Border Services Agency says charges have been laid against an American man after he attempted to bring guns into the country. It says in a statement today that the man was stopped on May 6 by C-B-S-A officers at the Abbotsford border crossing as he attempted to pass through B-C on his way to Alaska.

Firearms charges against US man

Too early to provide estimates of insured damages from BC wildfires : Insurance Bureau of Canada

Too early to provide estimates of insured damages from BC wildfires : Insurance Bureau of Canada
The Insurance Bureau of Canada says it's too early to provide estimates of insured damages from British Columbia fires that are still burning. However, experts do recommend getting your insurance claim started as soon as possible.

Too early to provide estimates of insured damages from BC wildfires : Insurance Bureau of Canada

Federal cabinet retreat to hear from housing experts today

Federal cabinet retreat to hear from housing experts today
Two housing experts who helped co-author a recent report on the federal government's role in solving the housing crisis are set to present their findings to the cabinet later today. The report delivered a week ago warns that "Canada's housing crisis is worsening dramatically" in large part because of an "extreme" lack of accessible and affordable rentals.

Federal cabinet retreat to hear from housing experts today

Eby to visit wildfire ravaged areas of BC

Eby to visit wildfire ravaged areas of BC
BC Premier David Eby wants to visit the province's fire-ravaged southern Interior today to reassure residents that the government will be there to help rebuild when the wildfire crisis has passed. Several large blazes are burning in the region, including the 110-square-kilometre McDougall Creek wildfire.

Eby to visit wildfire ravaged areas of BC