APEC summit | APEC leaders conclude 30th meeting with Golden Gate Declaration

The 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting concluded in San Francisco on Friday with the adoption of the Golden Gate Declaration. The declaration underscores the commitment to creating a resilient and sustainable future for all member economies.

"In focusing that vision and work this year on the US theme of 'Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Future for All,' we have acknowledged both new challenges that confront us and innovative ways to respond to those challenges," says the Golden Gate Declaration.

Leaders of Pacific Rim nations, after a two-day summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, showed divisions over the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. While they pledged support for reforming the World Trade Organization (WTO), a statement from the United States, the current APEC chair, mentioned that "most" APEC members "strongly condemn aggression against Ukraine." 

As per Reuters, there were differing views on addressing the Gaza crisis, with some leaders objecting to discussions within APEC saying "that they do not believe that APEC is a forum to discuss geopolitical issues."

However, rejecting Israel's justification of its actions against Palestinians as self-defense, Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries called for an immediate end to military operations in Gaza.

The summit concluded with the leaders declaring a commitment "to deliver a free, open, fair, non-discriminatory, transparent, inclusive, and predictable trade and investment environment."

"We are committed to necessary reform of the WTO to improve all of its functions, including conducting discussions with a view to having a fully and well-functioning dispute settlement system accessible to all members by 2024," they said.

Talking to the press, Taiwan's APEC envoy Morris Chang said that during his conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, he had conveyed Taiwan's strong desire for regional peace.

He also said that he met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the summit.

Chinese-claimed Taiwan, which takes part in the APEC forum as "Chinese Taipei" and does not send its president to summits, has faced increased military pressure from Beijing, including two rounds of major war games during the past year and a half, reports Reuters.

Morris Chang, Taiwan's APEC envoy has said that he held informal talk with President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken but not with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"We're going to see more technological change in the next 10 years than we've seen the last 50 years," Biden said, "Together we have to make sure it changes for the better."
 

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US President Joe Biden has left San Francisco after attending the APEC summit.

Earlier, during the last session on the last day of the forum, Biden urged APEC to ensure AI brings change for the better.

"We're going to see more technological change in the next 10 years than we've seen the last 50 years," Biden said

"Together we have to make sure it changes for the better."

The US president said that tech like AI should be used in order to "uplift, not limit, the potential of our people."

In a sign of thawing relations between the two countries, Australian PM Anthony Albanese on Friday (November 17) said that he had invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to Australia. Albanese himself visited Beijing earlier this month.

"It was positive. We spoke (about) Premier Li coming to Australia next year now that the latest meetings have been resumed," Albanese told reporters at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
 

US President has officially handed the chair of Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation chair to Peruvian President Dina Boluarte. The handover ceremony took place at the beginning of the final meeting.

"We will welcome you in our beloved Peru so that in 2024, we can continue to build on what APEC has been doing over so many years," Boluarte said.
 

US President Joe Biden met Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on the last day of the APEC summit.

Mexican president pledge that he will tackle trafficking and production of opioid fentanyl as an "act of solidarity". He said that he was "fully aware of the damage it poses to the United States' youth".