Xi arrives in San Francisco for talks with Biden, APEC meeting

SAN FRANCISCO, US

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday arrived in San Francisco for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, and to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting.

He was received by California Governor Gavin Newsom, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and other U.S. representatives at San Francisco International Airport.

Xi's upcoming talks with Biden are the first meeting between the two heads of state since their vis-a-vis sit-down in Bali, Indonesia, a year ago. During their Bali talks, the two leaders reached a series of important common understandings.

In the face of complex international landscapes and at a time when China-U.S. relations are at a critical crossroads, Xi's trip to the United States has drawn worldwide attention.

This year's APEC meetings are themed "Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Future for All." APEC as a whole faces downside risks from inflation, debt, climate change, geoeconomic fragmentation, trade protectionism and geopolitical issues in spite of upside opportunities from tourism rebound, increased consumption and targeted fiscal support, according to the APEC Regional Trends Analysis report published on Sunday.

At last year's APEC gathering in the Thai capital Bangkok, Xi called for building an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future.

The Asia-Pacific region is the most economically prosperous region globally, remaining on track to contribute about two-thirds of global growth in 2023, the International Monetary Fund said in October in its report on the economic outlook for Asia and the Pacific.

With mounting factors of instability and uncertainty in the world economy, there is a widely shared expectation for the Asia-Pacific to remain an economic engine to lead global growth, a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Friday.

"We hope that all parties will remember what brought countries and regions in the Asia-Pacific together in the first place, focus on the region's urgent needs, deepen solidarity and cooperation, deliver on the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040 in an all-round and balanced way, and work for positive outcomes at the meeting, so as to provide new growth impetus for the Asia-Pacific and the wider world and jointly build an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future," said the spokesperson.