Global powers are moving into Asia to manage shifting trade frameworks, artificial intelligence safeguards, and regional security architectures.
Major outcomes remain unlikely during the diplomatic gatherings, with Wang Wen, dean of Renmin University’s Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, telling CNA there is “a high probability that talks could end without a breakthrough.” A meeting previously hoped for by Washington with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears dead in the water, as Pyongyang rejects repeated overtures.
Artificial intelligence is taking center stage at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forums. Discussions follow an agreement reached in September to establish a communication channel for AI incidents.
Despite fierce tech rivalries, shared concerns regarding bioweapons and infrastructure hacking are driving calls for cooperation. In September, Xi Jinping said that Washington and Beijing have a responsibility to “develop and manage AI for good and ensure that the development of AI is always under human control.”
APEC talks could build on that previous communication channel agreement, Stephen Wu, founder of Carthage Capital, told CNA. “Both sides need an outcome, and a hotline is diplomacy’s cheapest: free to announce, free to ignore,” Wu said.
Meanwhile, a spying scandal enveloping Jensen Huang threatens to cast a pall over the discussions. Huang was once widely expected to accompany the US delegation to APEC, but US officials have accused him of sleeping with a woman they claim was working for Beijing.
In Manila, the Philippines’ year in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) chair is concluding without fulfilling a primary objective: signing a South China Sea Code of Conduct (COC) with China. The ongoing dispute over the waterway has shadowed bloc events throughout the year, marked by clashes between Philippine and Chinese sailors ahead of a July summit and a diplomatic row at an October defense meeting.
| Focus Area | Key Development | Diplomatic Status |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial Intelligence | Establishing incident communication channels | Active dialogue |
| Korean Peninsula | Proposed leadership summit | Rejected by Pyongyang |
| South China Sea | ASEAN Code of Conduct negotiations | Unresolved |
