APEC 2022 Thailand was the year-long hosting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

that took place in 2022. Thailand previously hosted APEC meetings in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

and

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

. The theme for the 2022

APEC 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 ...

meetings is "Open. Connect. Balance." The summit returned into an in-person meeting since the 2018 summit after the 2019 summit in Chile was cancelled due to protests in the country and the last two editions were held virtually due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Following the

assassination of Shinzo Abe On 8 July 2022, Shinzo Abe, a former prime minister of Japan and serving member of the Japanese House of Representatives, was assassinated while speaking at a political event outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara City, Nara Prefecture. Abe wa ...

, former

Prime Minister of Japan The is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its ministers of state. The prime minister also serves as the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Force ...

, on 8 July 2022, security concerns were raised for the event that was only four months away, which led to heightened security measures being taken by Thailand.

Logo

The APEC 2022 logo was selected from the 2021 National Youth Design Award competition, jointly organized by the Thai Foreign ministry and several Thai universities. Logo submissions were accepted from 1 May to 30 June 2021. 598 logos were submitted by people under 25 year old from many countries. The logo selected from the contest was made by Chawanon Wongtrakuljong, an architecture student from

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU; ; , ) is a public university, public Autonomous university, autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally founded during King Chulalongkorn's reign as a school for training ro ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

. It features a ''Chalom,'' an ancient traditional bamboo basket used to carry products and goods in Thailand. ''Chaloms'' are made with bamboo strips, tied and interlaced together to serve as a strong structure. Thus, it is used to symbolize strength, resilience, and cooperation between the nations in the region. ''Chalom'' also represents prosperous trading and commerce, since it is used to carry goods. Additionally, the logo also represents sustainability, because ''Chaloms'' are made from bamboo, an environmentally friendly material. The 21 openings between the woven bamboo stands for the 21 APEC nations. The 3 colors used in the logo represents the motto of the meeting:

Events

Participants

This was the first APEC Meeting for

Australian Prime Minister The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the federal executive government. Under the principles of responsibl ...

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 ...

, Chilean President

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 ...

Philippine President The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in- ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

after their inaugurations on 23 May 2022, 11 March 2022, 30 June 2022, and 1 July 2022, respectively. It was also the last APEC meeting for Vietnamese President

Nguyễn Xuân Phúc Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (; born 20 July 1954) is a Vietnamese former politician who served as the 11th president of Vietnam from 2021 until his resignation in 2023 amidst a series of corruption scandals. He also was the seventh prime minister from ...

New Zealand Prime Minister The prime minister of New Zealand () is the head of government of New Zealand. The prime minister, Christopher Luxon, leader of the New Zealand National Party, took office on 27 November 2023. The prime minister (informally abbreviated to ...

Jacinda Ardern Dame Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician and activist who was the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, leader of the Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. She was ...

and the host

Thai Prime Minister The prime minister of Thailand (, , ; literally 'chief minister of state') is the head of government of Thailand. The prime minister is also the chair of the cabinet of Thailand. The post has existed since the Siamese Revolution of 1932, when ...

Prayut Chan-o-cha Prayut Chan-o-cha (sometimes spelled Prayuth Chan-ocha; , ; born 21 March 1954) is a former Thai politician, army officer and dictator who became the 29th prime minister of Thailand after seizing power in the 2014 Thai coup d'état, 2014 coup ...

who stepped down on 18 January 2023 (following the Pres. Phúc's resignation), 24 January 2023 (following the Prime Minister Ardern's resignation and appointment of

Chris Hipkins Christopher John Hipkins (born 5 September 1978) is a New Zealand politician who has served as leader of the New Zealand Labour Party since January 2023 and leader of the Opposition (New Zealand), leader of the Opposition since November 2023. H ...

as Prime Minister) and 22 August 2023 (following the

2023 Thai general election General elections were held in Thailand on 14 May 2023 to elect 500 members of the House of Representatives (Thailand), House of Representatives. The Move Forward Party, led by Pita Limjaroenrat, surprised analysts by winning the most seats, ...

and election of

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

as Prime Minister), respectively. Among those who chose not to attend were

United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...

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 ...

South Korean President The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (), is the head of state and head of government of South Korea. The president directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander-in-chief of ...

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 ...

and Peruvian President

Pedro Castillo José Pedro Castillo Terrones (; born 19 October 1969) is a Peruvian politician, former elementary school teacher, and union leader who served as the President of Peru from 28 July 2021 until Third impeachment and removal of Pedro Castillo, he ...

, which would have been their first in-person APEC meetings. Biden, who attended the wedding of his granddaughter instead, was represented by

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

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 ...

in his place, Yoon himself was represented by South Korean Prime Minister

Han Duck-soo Han Duck-soo (; born 18June 1949) is a South Korean diplomat, economist, and politician who served as the acting president of South Korea in December 2024 and from March to May 2025 and as the prime minister of South Korea from 2007 to 2008 an ...

in his place, while Castillo was also represented by Vice 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 ...

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 ...

, who rarely undertakes foreign trips, also chose not to travel to Thailand and attend the meeting. López Obrador was represented by his Mexican ambassador to Thailand Bernardo Tello.

Malaysian Prime Minister The prime minister of Malaysia (; ) is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the federal government. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints the prime minister who is a member of Parliament (MP) wh ...

Ismail Sabri Yaakob Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob (; born 18 January 1960) is a Malaysian lawyer and politician who served as the ninth Prime Minister of Malaysia from 2021 to 2022. He is both the shortest-serving prime minister (served for 15 months) and the shortes ...

also skipped the meeting as its schedule conflicts with the

2022 Malaysian general election General elections were held in Malaysia on Saturday, 19 November 2022. The prospect of snap elections had been considered high due to the political crisis that had been ongoing since 2020; political instability caused by coalition or party swi ...

, where he sought re-election as leader of the

United Malays National Organisation The United Malays National Organisation (Abbreviation, abbrev: UMNO; , PEKEMBAR) is a Conservatism, conservative, Nationalism, Malay nationalist political party in Malaysia. As the oldest national political party in the country (since its ince ...

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 ...

also did not attend the summit due to the country's invasion of neighboring Ukraine; he was represented by

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 ...

Andrey Belousov Andrey Removich Belousov (born 17 March 1959) is a Russian politician and economist, serving as the Minister of Defence since May 2024. From January 2020 to May 2024, he served as First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia.

. Additionally, recently inaugurated leaders Papua New Guinean Prime Minister

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 ...

and Japanese Prime Minister

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 ...

, who had to go entirely remote for the

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

and

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

summits, had their first in-person APEC meeting. File:Anthony Albanese portrait (cropped).jpg, alt=Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia,

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,

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 2019.jpg, alt=ChinaXi Jinping,President,

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 ...

File:港府執意推進《逃犯條例》修法民陣謹慎動員民眾抗爭2 (cropped).jpg, alt=John Lee, Chief Executive of Hong Kong,

Chief Executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

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,

File:Han Duck-soo 2022.jpg, alt=Han Duck-soo, Prime Minister of South Korea, *

File:Coat of arms of Malaysia.svg, alt=Mohd Zuki Ali, Chief Secretary of Malaysia, *
Mohd Zuki Ali,
Chief Secretary File:Coat of arms of Mexico.svg, alt=Bernardo Tello,Mexican Ambassador to Thailand, *
Bernardo Tello,
Mexican Ambassador to Thailand File:New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in 2018.jpg, alt=Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand,

File:Fumio Kishida and James Marape before the funeral of Shinzo Abe (1) (cropped).jpg, alt=James Marape, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea,

File:Dina Boluarte October 2022 (cropped).jpg, alt=Dina Boluarte, First Vice President of Peru, *

First Vice President of Peru The Republic of Peru has two vice presidents, the first vice president and the second vice president, who are elected along with the president in democratic elections. Their only constitutional mission is to replace the president in case of dea ...

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

File:Andrey Belousov govru - 2 (cropped).png, alt=Andrey Belousov, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, *

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:Prayut Chan-o-cha at the Enthronement of Naruhito (1).jpg, alt=Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of Thailand,

,
Prime Minister (Host) File:Kamala Harris Vice Presidential Portrait (cropped).jpg, alt=Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, *

File:Nguyen Xuan Phuc 2022.jpg, alt=Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, President of Vietnam,

Invited guests

File:Emmanuel Macron 2023 (cropped).jpg, alt=Emmanuel Macron, President of France,

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...

File:Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud - 2017.jpg, alt=Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia,

Mohammed bin Salman Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (; born 31 August 1985), also known as MBS or MbS, is the ''de facto'' ruler of the Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, formally serving as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Sa ...

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

and

Cambodian Prime Minister

Hun Sen Samdech Hun Sen (; , Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: ; born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military officer who currently serves as the List of presidents of the Senate (Cambodia), president of the Senate. He previous ...

, who was also the 2022 Chairperson of

ASEAN The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated as ASEAN, is a regional grouping of 10 states in Southeast Asia "that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its ten members." Together, its member states r ...

, cancelled his guest attendance and returned to Cambodia before the start of the summit because he tested positive for COVID-19.

Protests

Multiple protests took place during APEC. Activists and civil society groups stated that the government of Thailand wanted to improve its legitimacy and to greenwash the image of the major polluters in the country. Activists say that they were monitored and intimidated in the weeks leading up to the summit. On 18 November clashes broke out between several hundred protesters and riot police, which resulted in multiple protesters and journalists being injured and one protester losing sight in one eye.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 2022 in economic history Economy of Thailand Diplomatic conferences in Thailand 21st-century diplomatic conferences 2022 in international relations 2022 conferences

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

November 2022 in Thailand