APEC 2023 continues this week in San Francisco: Biden, Xi Jinping to meet during summit

President Joe Biden is gearing up to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders in San Francisco on Wednesday at a major economic and trade summit for Pacific powers, according to senior U.S. administration officials.

For weeks, the White House has anticipated Biden and Jinping’s meeting at the APEC summit, which commenced on Saturday. The gathering is expected to draw thousands of protesters in the city during the summit.

The conversation comes at a moment of heavy friction between the two global economies. U.S. officials have said the two leaders hope to establish a framework for healthy, competitive relations going forward.

This week’s summit, which ends Friday, is a fitting setting for the two leaders to work toward this goal after not speaking in-person since the G20 Bali summit last November. The U.S. last held the summit in 2011 in Honolulu and before that in 1993 in Seattle.

Here’s what to know about the APEC, the summit and where the U.S fits into it.

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What does APEC stand for?

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is an intergovernmental forum of 21 economies throughout the Asia-Pacific region that gather to discuss and promote free trade.

Established in 1989, the forum aims to “create greater prosperity for the people of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth and by accelerating regional economic integration.”

APEC's member economies include over 2.9 billion people and make up over 60% of global GDP, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Where is the APEC summit in 2023?

San Francisco is hosting the 2023 APEC summit where government and business leaders are convening to discuss economic relations at the Moscone Center.

The city’s board of supervisors president Aaron Peskin said the summit marks the "largest gathering of international players in San Francisco since the United Nations Charter was signed here in 1945," according to CBS News.

What are the different summits during APEC week?

The annual APEC forum hosts various gatherings for government and business leaders including:

• Multistakeholder Forum (Nov. 10-13)

• Finance Ministers Retreat (Nov. 12)

• CEO Summit (Nov. 14-16)

• Annual Ministerial Meeting (Nov. 14-17)

• APEC Annual Ministerial Meeting Leaders' Plenary (Nov. 16-17)

• Business Advisory Council (Nov. 16-17)

Who will attend APEC 2023?

In addition to Biden and Jinping, this year’s APEC summit will gather governmental leaders such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The APEC CEO Summit has also drawn tech industry leaders including X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk, Alphabet Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai and Microsoft Corp.'s Satya Nadella.

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What is the role of the United States in APEC?

At every APEC forum, the U.S.’s goal has been to pursue a free and fair economic policy agenda that serves American businesses and workers, officials say.

When did the United States join APEC?

The U.S has been a part of the APEC forum since its founding in 1989 when it was an informal ministerial-level dialogue group.

The other 11 founding members include Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: APEC 2023 in San Francisco includes Biden, Xi Jinping meeting