WEDNESDAY WITH APEC: BILATERAL MEETINGS + PRESIDENT BIDEN + PRESIDENT XI
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 16, 2023
Contact: Press@ltg.ca.gov, (916) 445-8994
SAN FRANCISCO – Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis continued her participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Week conference on Wednesday with several bilateral meetings with foreign leaders and events with President Biden and President Xi.
MEETING WITH CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER:
The day began with a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hosted by Governor Gavin Newsom. Canada is one of California’s most important international partners with long-standing economic ties. Canada is California’s 3rd-largest trade partner and 4th largest source of foreign investment. The U.S. and Canada share the world’s longest international border, 5,525 miles with 120 land ports of entry, and our bilateral relationship is one of the closest and most extensive. Both nations enjoy the world’s largest and most comprehensive trading relationship that supports millions of jobs in each country and constitutes a $1.95 trillion bilateral trade and investment relationship.
California and Canada have also been strong partners in fighting climate change. In 2022, California and Canada signed an agreement to advance cooperation on fighting climate change, promoting zero-emission vehicles, and sharing best practices for promoting a circular economy and building climate resilience.
MEETING WITH SINGAPORE PRIME MINISTER:
Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis then joined Governor Newsom for a bilateral meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to discuss opportunities to strengthen economic cooperation and investment. Despite its small size, Singapore is California’s 12th-largest trading partner and 11th-largest export market. In 2022, California exports to Singapore totaled over $5.1 billion, while imports to California from Singapore also totaled $5.1 billion.
WELCOMING POTUS TO APEC:
Later in the day, Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis joined the APEC Leaders’ Welcome Reception at the Exploratorium hosted by San Francisco Mayor London Breed to welcome President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden to APEC.
WELCOMING CHINESE PRESIDENT XI TO APEC:
To end the day, Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis joined business leaders to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping to San Francisco and provided closing remarks at a dinner hosted by the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR). Link to the Lieutenant Governor’s remarks.
