PORT MORESBY -- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived here on Thursday night for this weekend's summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum ahead of all other leaders, eager to establish Beijing's presence in the region while U.S. President Donald Trump chose to stay home.
Leaders from 21 economies will gather on Saturday for the two-day summit here in Papua New Guinea's capital. After wrangling over regional security in Singapore, the U.S. and China are expected to spar over trade, dimming prospects for a truce at a tete-a-tete later this month in Argentina where the leaders of the two countries are scheduled to meet.
