Prime Minister Justin Trudeau landed in Northern California on Wednesday to begin three days of meetings with leaders of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member countries in San Francisco.

The government’s newly acquired Airbus CC-330 landed at San Francisco International Airport, where Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the United States, led a group of emissaries who greeted the prime minister.

The legendary motorcycle cops of the California Highway Patrol (CHiP), sirens blaring, escorted the Prime Minister’s convoy to the edge of the security perimeter surrounding the summit venue.

Mr. Trudeau first had a bilateral meeting with California Governor Gavin Newsom, a “liberal” politician whose efforts to combat climate change have made him an important and valuable ally to Canada.

The prime minister was then scheduled to take part in a panel discussion on rising food costs and appear later on Wednesday at an APEC reception hosted by US President Joe Biden, before a welcome dinner with technology sector executives.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping to try to defuse a year of international tensions, a meeting widely seen as the focus of this summit.

The two leaders were reportedly working on an agreement to resume bilateral military communications and keep artificial intelligence out of their respective nuclear defense systems.

Mr. Trudeau, meanwhile, will seek tangible progress on policy priorities in the Indo-Pacific region in bilateral meetings with other APEC leaders.

Federal officials say at least two bilateral economic initiatives with key Indo-Pacific partners will be on Canada’s list.

The absence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also makes psychodrama unlikely surrounding Trudeau’s allegations of a link between Indian government agents and the June shooting of a prominent Sikh leader in British Columbia.

“Mr. Modi is not there, so India is not there,” said Andreas Schotter, an associate professor of business administration at Western University in Ontario.

“Some felt that this gave the Prime Minister (Trudeau) the opportunity to avoid discussing the issue, but I don’t think that is a good thing: I think a meeting would have been better than a meeting.” Dodge,” he added.

There’s still a lot of work to be done for Canada at APEC, officials stress: It’s important to have a seat at the table in a part of the world where the decisions made are likely to impact Canadians for generations.

Goals

Mr. Trudeau’s key goals include closer cooperation with APEC countries that will promote middle class growth and healthy regional competition, all with the aim of advancing the fight against climate change.

Officials say Trudeau will promote new Canadian efforts to promote more efficient food production and healthier supply chains, as well as remove trade barriers with Pacific nations.

The region accounts for about half of global trade in goods and is the destination for more than 88% of Canada’s exports. APEC’s merchandise exports and imports now both exceed $12 trillion ($1 billion) a year.

Canada’s share of that pie reached $1,300 billion last year, up 22%, thanks to partners like the United States, China, Mexico, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam.

The summit comes a year after the Liberal government launched a new $2.3 billion “Indo-Pacific strategy” aimed at strengthening regional alliances to counter China’s growing power.

James McCarten, The Canadian Press