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APEC 2022 Thailand was the year-long hosting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Thailand that took place in 2022.[1][2] Thailand previously hosted APEC meetings in 2003 and 1992.[3]
| APEC 2022 Thailand การประชุมเอเปค พ.ศ. 2565 ประเทศไทย | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Host country | Thailand |
| Date | 16–19 November 2022 |
| Motto | Open. Connect. Balance. (Thai: เปิดกว้าง สร้างสัมพันธ์ เชื่อมโยงกัน สู่สมดุล) |
| Venue(s) | Main venue
Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, Bangkok Other meetings
3 host locations |
| Follows | 2021 |
| Precedes | 2023 |
| Website | www |
The theme for the 2022 APEC meetings is "Open. Connect. Balance."[4]
The summit returned into an in-person meeting since the 2018 summit after the 2019 summit in Chile was cancelled due to protests in the country and the last two editions were held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following the assassination of Shinzo Abe, former Prime Minister of Japan, on 8 July 2022, security concerns were raised for the event that was only four months away, which led to heightened security measures being taken by Thailand.[5]
Logo
editThe APEC 2022 logo was selected from the 2021 National Youth Design Award competition, jointly organized by the Thai Foreign ministry and several Thai universities. Logo submissions were accepted from 1 May to 30 June 2021. 598 logos were submitted by people under 25 year old from many countries.[6]
The logo selected from the contest was made by Chawanon Wongtrakuljong, an architecture student from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. It features a Chalom, an ancient traditional bamboo basket used to carry products and goods in Thailand. Chaloms are made with bamboo strips, tied and interlaced together to serve as a strong structure. Thus, it is used to symbolize strength, resilience, and cooperation between the nations in the region.[1][6][7] Chalom also represents prosperous trading and commerce, since it is used to carry goods. Additionally, the logo also represents sustainability, because Chaloms are made from bamboo, an environmentally friendly material.
The 21 openings between the woven bamboo stands for the 21 APEC nations.[6] The 3 colors used in the logo represents the motto of the meeting:[7]
| Blue represents "Open" | |
| Pink represents "Connect" | |
| Green represents "Balance" |
Events
editParticipants
editThis was the first APEC Meeting for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Chilean President Gabriel Boric, Philippine President Bongbong Marcos, and Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee after their inaugurations on 23 May 2022, 11 March 2022, 30 June 2022, and 1 July 2022, respectively. It was also the last APEC meeting for Vietnamese President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the host Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha who stepped down on 18 January 2023 (following the Pres. Phúc's resignation), 24 January 2023 (following the Prime Minister Ardern's resignation and appointment of Chris Hipkins as Prime Minister) and 22 August 2023 (following the 2023 Thai general election and election of Srettha Thavisin as Prime Minister), respectively.
Among those who chose not to attend were United States President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Peruvian President Pedro Castillo, which would have been their first in-person APEC meetings. Biden, who attended the wedding of his granddaughter instead, was represented by Vice President Kamala Harris in his place, Yoon himself was represented by South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in his place, while Castillo was also represented by Vice President Dina Boluarte in his place.[8] Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who rarely undertakes foreign trips, also chose not to travel to Thailand and attend the meeting. López Obrador was represented by his Mexican ambassador to Thailand Bernardo Tello. Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob also skipped the meeting as its schedule conflicts with the 2022 Malaysian general election, where he sought re-election as leader of the United Malays National Organisation. Russian president Vladimir Putin also did not attend the summit due to the country's invasion of neighboring Ukraine; he was represented by Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov.
Additionally, recently inaugurated leaders Papua New Guinean Prime Minister James Marape and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who had to go entirely remote for the 2020 and 2021 summits, had their first in-person APEC meeting.
Invited guests
edit| Invited guests at the 2022 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Name as used in APEC | Position | Name | |
 France |
France | President | Emmanuel Macron[f] | |
 Saudi Arabia |
Saudi Arabia | Crown Prince and Prime Minister | Mohammed bin Salman[f] | |
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who was also the 2022 Chairperson of ASEAN, cancelled his guest attendance and returned to Cambodia before the start of the summit because he tested positive for COVID-19.[12]
Protests
editMultiple protests took place during APEC. Activists and civil society groups stated that the government of Thailand wanted to improve its legitimacy and to greenwash the image of the major polluters in the country. Activists say that they were monitored and intimidated in the weeks leading up to the summit.[13]
On 18 November clashes broke out between several hundred protesters and riot police, which resulted in multiple protesters and journalists being injured and one protester losing sight in one eye.[14]
Notes
edit- ^ The President of China is legally a ceremonial office, but the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (de facto leader in one-party communist state) has always held this office since 1993 except for the months of transition, and the current general secretary is Xi Jinping, who is also the Chinese President.
- ^ Hong Kong joined APEC in 1991 during British administration with the name "Hong Kong." In 1997, Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and took the name "Hong Kong, China."
- ^ Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin chose not to attend the leaders summit. Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov attended on his behalf.
- ^ Due to the complexities of the relations between it and the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (ROC or "Taiwan") is not represented under its official name "Republic of China" or as "Taiwan". Instead, it participates in APEC under the name "Chinese Taipei". The President of the Republic of China does not attend the annual APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in person. Instead, it is generally represented by a ministerial-level official responsible for economic affairs or someone designated by the president. See List of Chinese Taipei Representatives to APEC.
- ^ U.S. President Joe Biden chose not to attend the leaders summit. Vice President Kamala Harris attended on his behalf.
- ^ a b The leaders of Cambodia and France,[9][10] as well as a representative for Saudi Arabia,[11] attended the meeting as invited guests of host Prayut Chan-o-cha.
See also
editAPEC summits hosted by Thailand
- APEC Thailand 1992
- APEC Thailand 2003
References
edit- ^ a b Rujopakarn, Benjamin (13 November 2021). "Thailand Unveils Logo for 2022 APEC Chairmanship". thailandnow.in.th. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021.
- ^ "Prime Minister concludes APEC Economic Leaders' Summit". apec2021nz.org. 13 November 2021. Archived from the original on 15 November 2021.
- ^ "1992 APEC Ministerial Meeting". apec.org. 10 September 1992. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021.
- ^ "Thailand to host APEC 2022 under the theme "Open. Connect. Balance."". mfa.go.th. 12 November 2021. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021.
- ^ "Security in Thailand tightened after Abe's killing". Bangkok Post. 10 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ a b c Tangsathaporn, Poramet (19 November 2021). "Foreign Ministry unveils Apec summit 2022 logo". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ a b "ถอดรหัส "ตราสัญลักษณ์" ประเทศไทย : APEC 2022". bangkokbiznews (in Thai). 12 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Baron, Sam (10 November 2022). "The Cost of Biden's APEC Absence". The Diplomat. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- ^ "Premier headed for G20 Summit in Indonesia, APEC Leaders' Informal Dialogue in Thailand". Khmer Times. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- ^ "French President Macron confirms APEC attendance". Thai Public Broadcasting Service. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- ^ "Saudi Crown Prince will attend Apec Summit, Don confirms". The Nation. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- ^ Difa Pramudyani, Yashinta (15 November 2022). Wahyudono, Hernawan (ed.). "PM Kamboja Hun Sen positif COVID-19, batal hadiri KTT G20". Antara Sultra (in Indonesian). Retrieved 16 November 2022.
- ^ "Opposition to APEC 2022". Prachatai English. 17 November 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
- ^ "Thailand's cycle of police brutality concerns activists – DW – 12/07/2022". dw.com. Retrieved 5 March 2023.