Regional trade in the spotlight

The participation by outgoing US President Donald Trump in a virtual Asia Pacific summit last Friday highlights the importance of Asia in the global economic landscape. Held by Malaysia, the two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum was also attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was fresh from the success of signing the world’s largest free-trade agreement (FTA) the previous weekend.

It was only Mr Trump’s second appearance at an Apec forum since the 2017 summit in Hanoi. He was due to attend last year’s event but it was cancelled as host Chile was facing violent street protests. Vice President Mike Pence represented the US at Apec in 2018 amid heightened US-China tensions, which have since deteriorated to their worst level in decades.

Mr Trump’s presence is one of the few appearances of any kind that he has made since losing the Nov 3…