As APEC in San Francisco ramps up, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday welcomed his foreign minister counterparts from 20 other economies taking part in the summit.
"It is particularly wonderful for us to be here in San Francisco, a city that for generations has linked people and economies of the Asia Pacific," Blinken said.
In a further salute to the city, U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai joked with the delegation from Australia about the city's unofficial anthem: "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."
"And I challenge Minister Farrell to at some point over the course of these days, perhaps, sing that tune for us," she said.
The main issues that are to be discussed at APEC involve economics and environmental sustainability, but the bilateral meeting with President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping is dominating those discussions. The Russian-Ukrainian and Israeli-Hamas wars are also part of the equation.
Blinken did not call out the Russian delegation that's in attendance for APEC, but he did mention the Russian invasion of Ukraine as one of the main challenges along with pandemic recovery and the growing climate crisis.
"Russia's invasion of Ukraine has further undermined food and energy security," he said.
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