WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden will attend two key summits and visit the Amazon rainforest in South America this month, the White House said Thursday, in a trip totally overshadowed by Donald Trump鈥檚 election win.
Biden鈥檚 swansong at the G20 summit in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil and the APEC meeting in Lima, Peru will come as world leaders are more focused on how to deal with Trump鈥檚 stunning comeback.
鈥淗e is planning to attend both conferences,鈥� White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told a briefing.
The return of Trump鈥檚 鈥淎merica First鈥� agenda to the global stage threatens to upend Biden鈥檚 embrace of international alliances on issues ranging from Ukraine and the Middle East to climate change and trade.
Jean-Pierre said in a statement that Biden will travel to Lima from November 14-16 for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) regional forum.
Last year he met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit in California, although there is no word on whether a similar meeting is possible this time.
Biden will then make what the White House said was the first visit by a sitting US president to Manaus in Brazil鈥檚 Amazon rainforest to meet indigenous leaders and others working to 鈥減rotect this critical ecosystem.鈥�
Finally, Biden will attend his last G20 group of nations summit in Rio on November 18 and 19, where the subjects will include climate change, it said.
Biden has spent his four years in office trying to reshape US leadership on the world stage, after the disruption of Trump鈥檚 first term as he criticized US allies and courted dictators like North Korea鈥檚 Kim Jong Un.
Uncertainty now reigns about what Trump 2.0 will mean for the world.
Trump鈥檚 plans for huge tariffs could trigger a trade war with China and badly affect Canada, Mexico, Europe and other trading partners.
Trump is also mooting talks with Russia鈥檚 President Vladimir Putin, amid speculation that he will try to push through a peace deal with Ukraine.
Putin has said he will not attend this G20 because it would 鈥渨reck鈥� the conference.