US President Joe Biden to travel to South America for APEC, G20 summits

US President Joe Biden will travel to Peru and Brazil next week for two international summits on a trip abroad that threatens to be overshadowed by Donald Trump’s election victory.

President Biden will travel to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in Lima, Peru, from November 14-16 and then travel to Manaus and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on November 17-19. Biden will visit the Amazon rainforest to meet with local leaders working to preserve the environment before heading to Rio de Janeiro for his final Group of 20 leaders’ summit.

In Brazil, Biden will meet with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to discuss workers’ rights and bolstering economic growth.

Biden’s plan to meet with foreign leaders follows a crushing election defeat for his party that saw Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris lose to Trump and Republicans retake the US Senate and potentially hold on to the House.

The election results represent a sharp blow to Biden and his legacy, with voters expressing deep frustration with his record, particularly on the economy. Republicans have vowed to undo key elements of the president’s agenda and are skeptical of many of his foreign policy priorities, including addressing climate change, strengthening labor rights around the world, and bolstering security alliances and democratic institutions abroad.

While in Lima, Biden is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, their first sitdown in a year, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the plans. The two last saw each other for an extended meeting near San Francisco on the sidelines of the 2023 APEC summit.

Biden and Xi’s teams are still working on finalising details for the meeting between the leaders and a date has not yet been decided, the people said.

The relationship between the world’s two largest economies has largely stabilised over the past year and recovered from its low point when China sent an alleged spy balloon over the US and tensions flared over Taiwan.

US officials have downplayed expectations for outcomes during the potential meeting between the US and Chinese presidents and instead described it as an opportunity for the leaders to check in with their counterparts.

A spokesperson for the US National Security Council declined to comment.

Trump’s return to the world stage will loom large over both summits and the possible sitdown with Xi. The Republican had a contentious relationship with China during his first White House term and has threatened to hit imports from the country with a 60 percent levy when he returns to office.