APEC 2023 United States was the year-long hosting of

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economy , economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Following the success of Association of Southeast Asia ...

(APEC) meetings in the United States taking place in 2023. It was held in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. APEC United States 2023 marked the third time the United States hosted an APEC meeting, having previously hosted in 1993 in Blake Island and

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

Preparations

In November 2023, San Francisco started clearing out all of the homeless people from certain parts of the city in preparation for the summit. On September 25, a high-ranking official from the city's Public Works department emailed to city officials listing seven intersections to target, writing that due to the upcoming summit, he was "concerned about historical encampments that are close to priority areas". The ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

'' noted that "All seven intersections are in the two neighborhoods that have long been at the epicenter of San Francisco’s unrelenting crises of homelessness and public drug markets."

Events

Participants

Due to the sanctions imposed on him by the US government,

Hong Kong Chief Executive The chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and head of the Government of Hong Kong. The position was created to replace the office of Governor of ...

John Lee John Lee may refer to: Academia * John Lee (astronomer) (1783–1866), president of the Royal Astronomical Society * John Lee (university principal) (1779–1859), University of Edinburgh principal * John Lee (pathologist) (born 1961), Engli ...

was not invited to the summit. In response, the Chinese foreign ministry reiterated its calls for the US to lift sanctions on Lee, and "fulfil the due responsibility as APEC host, invite Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to the meeting". Eventually, the Hong Kong government announced Lee would not attend due to "scheduling issues", with

Financial Secretary Financial secretary is an administrative and executive government position within the governance of a state, corporation, private or public organization, small group or other body with financial assets. A financial secretary oversees policy con ...

Paul Chan attending in his place.

Mexican President The president of Mexico (), officially the president of the United Mexican States (), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the Constitution of Mexico, the president heads the executive branch of the federal government and ...

Andrés Manuel López Obrador Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican former politician, political scientist, public administrator and writer who served as the 65th president of Mexico from 2018 to 2024. He se ...

initially announced he would not attend the summit due to disagreements with Peruvian President

Dina Boluarte Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra (; born 31 May 1962) is a Peruvian politician, civil servant, and lawyer who has been serving as the 64th president of Peru since 2022. She had served as the Vice President of Peru, first vice president and minister ...

. However, he later changed his decision, saying he would attend.

Russian President The president of Russia, officially the president of the Russian Federation (), is the executive head of state of Russia. The president is the chair of the Federal State Council and the supreme commander-in-chief of the Russian Armed Forces. I ...

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

, who has been issued an

arrest warrant An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by a judge or magistrate on behalf of the state which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual or the search and seizure of an individual's property. Canada Arrest warrants are issued by a jud ...

by the

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute ...

following the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, did not attend the summit, with Deputy Prime Minister

Alexey Overchuk Alexey Logvinovich Overchuk (born 9 December 1964) is a Russian politician serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Russia for Eurasian integration, cooperation with the Commonwealth of Independent States, BRICS, G20, and international events since 2 ...

attending in his place. President Joe Biden participates in a family photo with APEC leaders and guest leaders on November 16, 2023 in San Francisco, California.jpg, APEC family photo in San Francisco File:Anthony Albanese portrait (cropped).jpg, alt=Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia,

Anthony Albanese Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been the Leaders of the Australian Labor Party#Leader, leader of the Labor Party si ...

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

File:His Majesty Bolkiah 20231216.jpg, alt=Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei,

Hassanal Bolkiah Hassanal Bolkiah Muiz'zaddin Wad'daulah (born 15 July 1946) is the List of sultans of Brunei, Sultan of Brunei since 1967, and Prime Minister of Brunei, prime minister of Brunei since its independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is one ...

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

File:Prime Minister Trudeau's message on Christmas 2023 (0m29s) (cropped).jpg, alt=Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament ...

File:Retrato Oficial Presidente Boric Font (cropped).jpg, alt=Gabriel Boric, President of Chile,

Gabriel Boric Gabriel Boric Font (; born 11 February 1986) is a Chilean politician and the President of Chile since 2022. He previously served two four-year terms as a deputy in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, Chamber of Deputies. Boric first gained prom ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

File:Xi Jinping in July 2024.jpg,

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...

, alt=ChinaXi Jinping,President File:Paul Chan 2023 November Hong Kong Palace Museum (cropped).jpg, alt=Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of Hong Kong, *
Paul Chan,

File:Joko Widodo 2019 official portrait.jpg, alt=Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia,

Joko Widodo Joko Widodo (; born 21 June 1961), often known mononymously as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician, engineer, and businessman who served as the seventh president of Indonesia from 2014 to 2024. Previously a member of the Indonesian Democratic ...

File:Fumio Kishida 20211005 (cropped).jpg, alt=Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan,

Fumio Kishida Fumio Kishida (born 29 July 1957) is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP) from 2021 to 2024. He has been a member of the House of Representatives in the National Diet ...

File:South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol portrait.jpg, alt=Yoon Suk-yeol, President of South Korea,

Yoon Suk Yeol Yoon Suk Yeol (; born 18 December 1960) is a South Korean politician and former prosecutor who served as the 13th president of South Korea from 2022 until Impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol, he was removed from office in 2025. The shortest-serving ...

File:Anwar Ibrahim (2024-05-23).jpg, alt=Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia,

Anwar Ibrahim Anwar bin Ibrahim (; born 10 August 1947), also known by his abbreviation as DSAI and PMX, is a Malaysian politician who is the 10th prime minister of Malaysia since 2022. A member of the People's Justice Party (Malaysia), People's Justice P ...

File:Presidente AMLO 2021.jpg, alt=Andrés Manuel López Obrador, President of Mexico,

File:Profile--damienoconnor-5-390x2-UNC.jpg, alt=Damien O'Connor, Minister of Trade of New Zealand, *

Damien O'Connor Damien Peter O'Connor (born 16 January 1958) is a New Zealand Labour Party politician who served as Minister of Agriculture, Minister for Biosecurity, Minister for Trade and Export Growth, Minister for Land Information and Minister for Rural ...

,
Trade Minister File:Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on July 27, 2023 - 230727-D-TT977-0140 (cropped).jpg, alt=James Marape, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea,

James Marape James Marape (born 24 April 1971) is a Papua New Guinean politician who has served as the prime minister of Papua New Guinea since May 2019. He has been a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea since July 2007, representing the el ...

File:Dina Boluarte December 2023.jpg, alt=Dina Boluarte, President of Peru,

File:Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr (cropped portrait).jpg, alt= Bongbong Marcos, President of the Philippines,

Bongbong Marcos Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (, , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials BBM or PBBM, is a Filipino politician who has served as the 17th president of the Philippines since 2022. He is the second child ...

File:Alexey Overchuk official portrait.jpg, alt=Alexey Overchuk, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, *

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

File:Fumio Kishida and Lee Hsien Loong before the funeral of Shinzo Abe (1) (cropped).jpg, alt=Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore,

Lee Hsien Loong Lee Hsien Loong (born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former military officer who served as the third Prime Minister of Singapore, prime minister of Singapore from 2004 to 2024, thereafter serving as a Senior Minister of S ...

File:張忠謀.jpg, alt= Morris Chang, Special Representative of the President of Taiwan,

Morris Chang Morris Chung-Mou Chang (; born 10 July 1931) is a Taiwanese-American billionaire businessman and electrical engineer who pioneered the foundry model of semiconductor fabrication. He is regarded as the founder of Taiwan's semiconductor industry ...

, Special Representative of Leader (representing

Tsai Ing-wen Tsai Ing-wen (; pinyin: ''Cài Yīngwén''; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician and legal scholar who served as the seventh president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2016 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party ...

) File:Srettha Thavisin at Pheu Thai Party headquarters,Bangkok, 7 September 2023.jpg, alt=Srettha Thavisin, Prime Minister of Thailand,

Srettha Thavisin Srettha Thavisin (, , ; born 15 February 1962) is a Thai businessman and former politician who served as the 30th Prime Minister of Thailand from 2023

,
Prime Minister File:Joe Biden presidential portrait (cropped).jpg, alt=Joe Biden, President of the United States,

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

(Host) File:Võ Văn Thưởng in Italy.jpg, alt=Võ Văn Thưởng, President of Vietnam,

Võ Văn Thưởng Võ Văn Thưởng (; born 13 December 1970) is a Vietnamese politician who served as the 12th president of Vietnam from March 2023 to March 2024, being the youngest person to serve in this position since the country's Reunification Day, reunifi ...

Invited guests

File:Presidente Gustavo Petro Urrego.jpg, alt=Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia,

Gustavo Petro Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego (; born 19 April 1960) is a Colombian politician who is the 34th and current president of Colombia since 2022. Upon inauguration, he became the Pink tide, first left-wing president in the History of Colombia, recen ...

File:Sitiveni Rabuka 2020.jpg, alt=Sitiveni Rabuka, Prime Minister of Fiji,

Sitiveni Rabuka Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka (; born 13 September 1948) is a Fijian politician, sportsman, and former soldier who has been serving as Prime Minister of Fiji since 24 December 2022. He was the instigator of two military coups in 1987. He was de ...

File:Piyush Goyal crop.jpg, alt=Piyush Goyal, Commerce and Industry Minister of India,

Piyush Goyal Piyush Vedprakash Goyal (born 13 June 1964) is an Indian politician who is serving as Ministry of Commerce and Industry (India), Minister of Commerce and Industry since 2019. He also served as Minister of Textiles (India), Minister of Textiles ...

, Commerce and Industry Minister

Sidelines

Biden–Xi summit

International coverage related to APEC 2023 focused on the summit between US President

and Chinese President

on 15 November, held separately from the APEC summit at the

Filoli Filoli, also known as the Bourn-Roth Estate, is a country house set in of formal gardens surrounded by a estate, located in Woodside, California, about south of San Francisco, at the southern end of Crystal Springs Reservoir, on the east ...

estate in Unincorporated

San Mateo County San Mateo County ( ), officially the County of San Mateo, is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 764,442. Redwood City, California, Redwood City is th ...

near the town of

Woodside, California Woodside is a incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. It has a council–manager system of government. The population of the town was 5,309 at the 2020 census. The town's population ha ...

. Xi and Biden previously met virtually at the meeting hosted by New Zealand in 2021 – the first APEC summit of the Biden presidency – but Vice President

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

went in Biden's place to Thailand in 2022. (Xi hosted the 2014 APEC summit with U.S. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

attending in Beijing. Obama and he had first met when Xi as Vice President, officially hosted by then-VP Biden, visited Washington in 2012.) A substantial portion of the issues facing the two leaders also involve APEC members and the deep histories of all nations in the APEC region. Anticipation in the U.S. for the 2023 meeting by the two leaders preceded the event in San Francisco.

Protests and incidents

Demonstrations spanning a variety of issues, particularly objection to Xi Jinping's presence in the United States, took place near

San Francisco International Airport San Francisco International Airport is the primary international airport for the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. Owned and operated by the City and County of San Francisco, the airport has a San Francisco mailing ...

and meeting site prior to Xi Jinping's arrival. ''

World Journal ''World Journal'' ( zh, c= 世界日報, p=Shìjiè Rìbào) is a Pan-Blue Taiwanese broadsheet newspaper published in North America. It is the largest Chinese language newspaper in the United States and one of the largest Chinese-language ne ...

'' and ''

Sing Tao Daily The ''Sing Tao Daily'' (also known as ''Sing Tao Jih Pao''; ) is among Hong Kong's oldest Chinese language newspapers. It is owned by Sing Tao News Corporation, of which Kwok Ying-shing () is chairman. Its English-language sister is the free ...

'' reported that hundreds were bused in from across the US to welcome Xi. Multiple clashes were reported between

Chinese dissidents This list consists of activists who are known as Chinese dissidents. The label is primarily applied to intellectuals and other high-profile individuals from China who are known for their criticism of the Chinese government or its policies. Deta ...

and pro-Chinese government groups. The nonprofit group

Human Rights in China Human rights in the People's Republic of China are poor, as per reviews by international bodies, such as human rights treaty bodies and the United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), th ...

stated that evidence of assaults and selective police enforcement would be submitted to the

United States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party The United States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party is a committee of the United States House of Representatives established in the 118th Congress, on January 10, 2023. The ...

. An investigation by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' found that "the most extreme violence was instigated by pro-CCP activists." Taiwanese reporters were harassed and stopped from filming near the St. Regis Museum Tower. The

Congressional-Executive Commission on China The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) is an independent agency of the U.S. government which monitors human rights and rule of law developments in the People's Republic of China. The commission was given the mandate by the U.S. C ...

subsequently condemned the attacks on protesters and urged further law enforcement investigation. In August 2024,

John Moolenaar John Robert Moolenaar ( ; born May 8, 1961) is an American chemist and politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2015, representing the state's 2nd congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he se ...

, chair of the United States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, called on the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

and

San Francisco Police Department The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) is the Municipal police, municipal law enforcement agency of the San Francisco, City and County of San Francisco, as well as San Francisco International Airport in San Mateo County, California, San Ma ...

to "hold the perpetrators accountable."

Notes

References

External links

* {{Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 2023 in economic history Diplomatic conferences in the United States 21st-century diplomatic conferences 2023 in international relations 2023 conferences

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

November 2023 in the United States Presidency of Joe Biden 2023 in San Francisco