The Heat: APEC meetings

The Heat

For the first time in their history, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings ended without a formal joint statement. The leaders were unable to bridge divisions over trade. 

On Saturday, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence took a jab at China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which offers loans to poorer countries to improve infrastructure. Pence said the program is opaque at best and leads to staggering debt.

Chinese President Xi Jinping defended free trade and reaffirmed China’s commitment to pursue common development goals with the rest of the world.

To discuss:

  • Karunasena Kodituwakku is the Sri Lankan Ambassador to China.
  • Jorge Heine is a former Chilean Ambassador to China.
  • Peter Petri is a professor of International Finance at Brandeis University.
  • Song Zhang is the Washington Bureau Chief for the Shanghai Wen Hui Daily.

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