APEC Stresses Multilateralism As US, China, Russia Leaders Set To Meet At Leaders' Week
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 (Bernama) -- The anticipated trilateral meeting involving the leaders of the United States (US), China and Russia should not overshadow the broader multilateral engagement taking place under the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) platform, says an APEC official.
APEC Secretariat executive director Eduardo Pedrosa said the presence of the three major powers at APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in Shenzhen presented an opportunity for dialogue within a broader regional framework involving all 21 member economies.
He said APEC remained relevant as a platform where economies, despite geopolitical differences and tensions, could maintain communication and discuss shared economic challenges.
"Why is APEC important? It's because they're meeting at APEC. You know, this is not a meeting of G2 or G3. All of them are present here in APEC," he said during an APEC virtual media briefing today.
US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to hold their first trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in China’s Shenzhen.
On Friday, Washington confirmed Trump’s attendance at the forum, taking place from Nov 18 to 19.
Pedrosa was responding to a question on whether the planned meeting involving the US, China and Russia could signal the growing influence of major-power diplomacy in shaping the region's economic and geopolitical future, potentially sidelining other APEC economies.
He said APEC's significance extended beyond high-level political engagements, with its year-round work involving technical discussions, policy exchanges and cooperation on regional standards and regulations.
The organisation had held about 300 meetings throughout the year, bringing together government representatives, technical working groups and the business community.
Pedrosa said these engagements were important in ensuring that regional economies continued to work together on issues such as connectivity, infrastructure development, trade and economic integration.
He also pointed to existing regional agreements and initiatives, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) and other bilateral and plurilateral arrangements, as evidence that regional cooperation remained active.
"The future of multilateralism and regionalism is alive and well," he said.
Meanwhile, APEC Policy Support Unit director Carlos Kuriyama said the participation of all 21 member economies in the forum demonstrated the importance of maintaining dialogue despite geopolitical tensions.
He said regular engagements among delegations provided opportunities to address differences through diplomacy and explore ways to strengthen bilateral and plurilateral cooperation.
Kuriyama said the broader objective remained the development of an open and free Asia-Pacific community that promotes shared prosperity and sustainable economic growth.
APEC is an intergovernmental forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region, representing approximately three billion people and 61.6 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025.
Malaysia is among the 12 founding members of APEC. The others are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, the United States, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
China, Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei joined in 1991, while Mexico and Papua New Guinea joined in 1993. Chile acceded in 1994, followed by Peru, Russia and Vietnam in 1998, taking the full membership to 21
-- BERNAMA