SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will visit San Francisco for a six-day working trip from Monday (Nov 13).

During the trip, Mr Lee will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting at the invitation of United States President Joe Biden. 

The 30th APEC summit, attended by leaders of 21 member economies, will be the first hosted by the US since 2011. President Biden is expected to have a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines. 

The APEC leaders will discuss ways to strengthen trade, increase supply chain resilience, tackle climate change and ensure an equitable and inclusive future, said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in a statement.

Mr Lee will also hold bilateral meetings with other APEC leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

In addition, he will meet California governor Gavin Newsom, and business leaders from prominent US companies, including Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and others.

Mr Lee will also launch Enterprise Singapore’s San Francisco Overseas Centre and meet Singaporeans living in the San Francisco Bay Area.

He will be accompanied by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and senior officials from PMO, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

During Mr Lee’s absence, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong will be the Acting Prime Minister.