San Francisco is hosting the biggest forum of international governments the city has seen in nearly 80 years. Here's a breakdown on what you need to know about APEC, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation event.
Latest updates:
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in San Francisco on Tuesday afternoon after President Joe Biden touched down at San Francisco International Airport. Both Xi and Biden will attend the APEC forum and are scheduled to meet on Wednesday.
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What is APEC?
APEC on its site says it "is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific. APEC is the premier platform for the U.S. to advance economic policies in the Asia-Pacific region to promote free, fair, and open trade and investment and advance sustainable and inclusive economic growth."
When will APEC be held?
The APEC Economic Leaders' Week will run from Nov. 11 to 17. The APEC CEO Summit will be held from Nov. 14 to 16 at the Moscone Center.
And when it comes to town, so will President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and the leaders of 20 other nations as well.
What will be discussed at APEC?
APEC's website says "meetings throughout this year have focused on regional economic issues, including sustainability, digitalization, women’s economic empowerment, trade facilitation, energy security, food security, and health."
It is expected those attending the event will engage and discuss global challenges, and focus on the three APEC 2023 policy priorities:
- Interconnected: To build a resilient, interconnected region that advances broad economic prosperity.
- Innovative: To enable an innovative environment for a sustainable future.
- Inclusive: To affirm an equitable and inclusive future for all.
View the full program and daily schedule on APEC's website.
Who is attending APEC?
APEC’s members meet on a yearly basis. Leaders and representatives from the following APEC member economies are expected to attend the event in San Francisco:
- Australia
- Brunei Darussalam
- Canada
- Chile
- People's Republic of China
- Hong Kong, China
- Indonesia
- Japan
- Republic of Korea
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- Papua New Guinea
- Peru
- Philippines
- Russian Federation
- Singapore
- Chinese Taipei
- Thailand
- United States of America
- Vietnam
Featured speakers for the APEC CEO summit
- Raj Subramanian, FedEx Corporation president, CEO and director
- Michael Miebach, Mastercard CEO
- Jane Fraser, Citi CEO
- Kathryn Wengel, Johnson & Johnson executive vice president, chief technical operations & risk officer
- Darren Woods, ExxonMobil Corporation chairman and CEO
- Kevin Alik, Organon CEO
- Ian Bremmer, Eurasia Group president
- Alfred Kelly Jr., Visa executive chairman
- Bob Moritz, PwC global chairman
- Marc R. Benioff, Salesforce CEO
- Ertharin Cousin, Food Systems for the Future founder and CEO
- Albert Bourla, Pfizer CEO
- Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO
- Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO
San Francisco Moscone Center traffic detours during APEC
APEC’s main events will be held at Moscone Center, so several streets surrounding that part of the Market District will either be closed outright or have restricted traffic. In addition, the Nob Hill area will also be affected.
The security measures will take a variety of forms. Buses and the central subway line will be rerouted, delivery vehicles will be screened in security zones, and the Secret Service will be imposing flight and maritime restrictions on the bay.
For more information about travel and transit in San Francisco during APEC, visit SFMTA's APEC page.
Per the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency: The United States Secret Service has established security zones around the conference and any additional conference-related events. Only people attending these events or who live or work inside the security zones will be allowed to enter. All other traffic will be redirected around the security zones including vehicles and people walking and bicycling.
Freeway closures during APEC
Caltrans will be implementing partial or complete closures starting Nov. 14 on highways in and around San Francisco.
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
On Interstate Highway 80, eastbound lane no. 1 and westbound lane no. 5 will be closed for four days beginning Nov. 14 at 5 a.m. until Nov. 17 at 9 p.m.
Controlled access to the Bay Bridge Pedestrian and Bike Path will be implemented. Transit bus services will not be impacted, and Treasure Island on- and off-ramps as well as the Fremont Street off-ramp remain open.
Highway 101
On northbound U.S. Highway 101, the Dana Bowers Vista Point off-ramp just north of the Golden Gate Bridge will be closed from Nov. 14 through Nov. 18.
During the closure, there will be no access to Dana Bowers Vista Point for vehicles, bicycles, or pedestrians.
The Golden Gate Bridge Pedestrian Path will be closed at the north end of the bridge, and there will be no pedestrian access from Marin County. However, the bicycle path on the west side of the bridge will remain open between Marin County and San Francisco.
Interstate 80
The Fourth Street off-ramp on eastbound I-80 and the Fifth Street off-ramp on westbound I-80 will be closed from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily starting Nov. 15 until Nov. 17.
CHP officers will be present to enforce the closures.
Residents and motorists are encouraged to plan their travels accordingly, allow extra time for their commute and consider using alternative routes or public transportation during this period.
Chinatown APEC community events
Downtown San Francisco will be full of activities and events and less than a mile way in the city's Chinatown, the district will also have plenty to offer visitors during APEC.
For more information on the Chinatown community events, visit the following websites:
