SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will visit South America for a pair of multilateral meetings from Nov 14 to Nov 20.
Mr Wong will first visit Peru from Nov 14 to Nov 16 to attend the 31st Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM), at the invitation of President Dina Boluarte, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Wednesday (Nov 13).
He will then travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the G20 Summit from Nov 17 to Nov 20, at the invitation of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Peru is the host economy of APEC this year, while Brazil holds the G20 presidency.
Under the theme “Empower, Include, Grow”, the APEC leaders will discuss ways to promote trade and investment for inclusive and interconnected growth, and the transition towards the formal and global economy, among other topics, the PMO said.
Mr Wong will also participate in various dialogues, and the Leaders’ Retreat.
With the theme “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet”, Brazil’s G20 presidency “seeks to address global challenges of inequality, hunger and poverty, promote sustainable and inclusive growth, and rally support for global governance reform”, said the PMO.
At the summit, Mr Wong will participate in discussions touching on the importance of multilateral cooperation in fostering growth, the reform of global governance institutions for greater development impact, energy transitions to meet collective net zero ambitions, and job creation as a means to achieve the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, it added.
Mr Wong will also have bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the ALEM and G20 Summit.
He will be accompanied by Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said PMO.
Senior officials from the Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Finance will also join the APEC and G20 delegations respectively.
During Mr Wong’s absence, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong will be the Acting Prime Minister.
