Asia-Pacific summit frowns on Ukraine war, North Korea launch

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, or APEC, began Friday with speeches strongly against the war in Ukraine and the launch of a missile earlier in the day by North Korea that touched down near Japanese waters. French President Emmanuel Macron called for an end to confrontation in Ukraine and Asia. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris also condemned the North Korean launch. The group, made up of 21 countries, on Saturday approved a statement condemning Russia’s war on Ukraine.. 

What’s on APEC’s agenda? The group’s long-term goal is to promote economic cooperation, but it sometimes gets into other matters. Leaders are trying to find common ground on everything from climate change to the pandemic. Harris pitched the U.S. as a reliable economic partner for Asia, and Macron said instability is hampering global economic recovery from the pandemic. APEC has members on both sides of the Pacific Ocean and the meeting is taking place in Bangkok. 

Dig deeper: Listen to Nick Eicher’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about improving the U.S. economy.