Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in Lima for an Asia-Pacific summit marked by the return of Donald Trump

American Presidents Joe Biden and Chinese Presidents Xi Jinping arrive in Lima on Thursday to participate in a summit of Asia-Pacific countries, in a climate tense by the prospect of new trade wars under the presidency of Donald Trump. The two leaders planned to meet on Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit, which brings together 21 member countries, representing 60% of global GDP.

This will be the third in-person meeting for the two leaders, who will then travel to the G20 in Brazil early next week. Democrat Joe Biden, 81, will hand over control in January to Republican Donald Trump, winner of the November 5 vote, and who has already appointed hard-liners against Beijing to his team. The outgoing president “will take the opportunity to take stock of the efforts made to manage competition responsibly”according to a senior American official.

“Deep disagreements”

Despite “deep disagreements”the two superpowers have “made progress in areas of common interest”she assured, citing the improvement of military communications and the fight against synthetic drug trafficking. Joe Biden's mandate was marked by strong tensions with Beijing, but also by the maintenance, as best he could, of dialogue between the two countries.

However, the situation risks deteriorating under his successor. During his campaign, Donald Trump promised to defend American industry, threatening to apply customs duties of 10 to 20% on all imported products, and up to 60% for those from China. The Asian giant, the world's second largest economy, is struggling with a real estate crisis and sluggish consumption which could worsen with the Republican tycoon returning to the White House.

Megaport financed by Beijing

“I think the only thing the Apec and G20 leaders will talk about is the one world leader who is not there, Donald Trump”estimated Victor Cha, president of the geopolitics and foreign policy department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), based in Washington.

The discussions will focus on what we can “expect from the incoming Trump administration on trade, alliances and other issues”he added during a press conference this week in Washington.

Before a summit of heads of state on Friday and Saturday, ministerial meetings are scheduled for Thursday, in which US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will participate alongside US Trade Representative Katherine Tai. Objective: to highlight the United States' commitment to supporting growth in the Asia-Pacific region in the face of competition from China.

At the same time, Xi Jinping will inaugurate, alongside Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, the new megaport of Chancay, located north of Lima. Financed by China to the tune of 3.5 billion dollars (3.3 billion euros), the terminal, which will eventually have 15 berths, illustrates the growing influence of Beijing in Latin America, once considered the reserved domain of the United States.

Promoting economic growth

During the summit, Peru intends to highlight the themes of trade and investment, innovation and digitalization, as well as sustainable growth. Since 1989, Apec has aimed to promote economic growth, cooperation and investment in the Pacific region.

Its members also include Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Chile, Canada, Australia, Mexico and Russia. Mr. Biden will also meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday in a tripartite meeting bringing together two of his key allies in Asia.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will be absent, her country having not recognized the government of Dina Boluarte since the departure of left-wing President Pedro Castillo in 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin will also be absent.

More than 13,000 police officers have been deployed to the capital of 10 million people to step up security around the summit, as protests are held to denounce a rise in extortion and murders linked to organized crime.