Although Mr. Biden, as president, will be the official host, San Francisco is Mr. Newsom’s town. He grew up there. He was mayor there in the 1990s. And he’s the governor of California.
So, watch his position carefully at the summit, how he’s treated, and what people say about him. My guess is he will play down his position and defer at every moment to Mr. Biden. He will try to stay in the background. He’s a savvy political player, as I also have reported many times in The Epoch Times. He knows being coy only will make people more interested in him.
Mr. Newsom and Mr. Biden
This past week Democratic Party big-shot David Axelrod, President Obama’s former senior advisor and at the pinnacle of party influencers, reportedly suggested Mr. Biden not run again in 2024. Although on Nov. 7, Mr. Axelrod insisted he didn’t tell Mr. Biden to drop out. Nice trial balloon.In any case, speculation at the summit will be running wild about Mr. Newsom’s situation vis a vis Mr. Biden. The APEC confab also directly will contrast the vigorous Mr. Newsom with the obviously weak Mr. Biden. The president also might be suffering from jet lag flying out from D.C., while Mr. Newsom, as the “home team,” will be returning to his home and family.
“The United States has expressed growing concern about China’s military ambitions and has sought to cut off Beijing’s access to technology that could be used against the United States. China’s treatment of Western companies, which are facing tougher restrictions in how they do business, have also prompted firms to question the wisdom of investing in China.
“Still, Chinese and American leaders have expressed interest in bolstering ties between their economies, the world’s two largest, which remain inextricably linked through trade.”
That’s the point. Although there has been some “decoupling,” the two countries’ economies remain tightly linked.
Big Trouble in Communist China
And Mr. Xi has his own problems. The Wall Street Journal reported Nov. 6: “Foreign firms yanked more than $160 billion in total earnings from China during six successive quarters through the end of September, according to an analysis of Chinese data, an unusually sustained run of profit outflows that shows how much the country’s appeal is waning for foreign capital. The torrent of earnings leaving China pushed overall foreign direct investment in the world’s second-largest economy into the red in the third quarter for the first time in a quarter of a century.Suppressing Christians, Falun Gong, Muslim Uyghurs, and those of other faiths, in addition to being a violation of human rights, removes an essential element of coping with the difficulties all people face as humans. Religion—giving people hope in the future—also probably is the only way the country can recover from the Chinese Communist Party’s murderous 40-year one-child policy. Which has been so harmful it now is reducing the population and causing a shortage of young workers.
Gov. Newsom on Display
As I noted in my articles on his trip to China, Mr. Newsom hardly said anything about the CCP’s human rights abuses, instead basking in the attention the regime gave him. During the APEC summit, also look for how he reacts to planned demonstrations. There will be the pro-Palestine demonstrations seen in many places lately.“Thousands will descend on the San Francisco Bay Area in a mass of community, creativity, and resistance to demonstrate what’s possible in the face of poverty, human rights abuses and the climate crisis. There will be a week of action beginning with the Peoples’ Counter Summit on Nov. 11th, then the November 12th Mass Mobilization, a variety of autonomous actions around the Bay Area and a mass direct action at APEC’s CEO summit on Nov. 15th.
“On Wednesday, November 15th, we’re planning a large scale, well organized, high visibility action to SHUT DOWN the APEC Summit.
“Hundreds of people will put their bodies on the line, reflecting the diversity of groups and communities impacted by APEC’s militarism, neo-liberalism and climate destruction. We envision colorful and festive actions that will creatively block CEOs and dictators from meeting.”
So watch for Mr. Newsom’s reaction to the protests, if any. And notice if, included in the protesters’ chants against the “human rights abuses and climate crisis” are the CCP’s multitudinous violations of religious freedom and increasing use of coal plants. And if the “dictators” denounced include Mr. Xi.
