Leaders from the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum begin a two-day summit in Thailand’s capital on Friday with a crowded backdrop of issues to contend with: the war in Ukraine, great power rivalry in Asia, and the global crises of food and energy shortages, inflation and supply chain disruptions.
“It is clear that this has been an eventful and challenging year on many fronts,” said Thani Thongphakdi, permanent secretary of Thailand's Foreign Ministry. “The entire APEC region, along with the global economy, is still reeling from the effects of COVID-19 and recovering amidst ongoing economic woes, tensions and crises that have affected all aspects of our lives.”
