'Picture Says It All': Joe Biden Gets Last Row Whereas Xi Jinping Takes Center Stage At APEC Summit

(MENAFN- Live Mint) At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru, US President Joe Biden was relegated to the back corner of the annual family photo, with Chinese President Xi Jinping enjoying a prominent front-and-centre spot next to host country President Dina Boluarte.

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As reported by the New York Post, while the order of world leaders in the photo is typically alphabetical by country, past APEC photos have shown that positions are not fixed. For example, in 2017, then-President Donald Trump took centre positions in two family photos during the APEC summit in Vietnam, the only such summit he attended.

This year, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Papua New Guinea's Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso appeared out of order, standing behind Boluarte and Xi. The arrangement of leaders sparked commentary from Republican lawmakers, with Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) suggesting that the positioning reflected the diminished respect world leaders have for Biden.

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“They probably should have invited President-elect [Donald] Trump down,” she said, adding that Trump would likely have been front and center with Xi.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) took a harsher tone, calling Biden the“lamest of lame ducks” and stating that the photo symbolized his presidency.“A picture is worth a thousand words-and this picture says it all,” Van Drew remarked, implying that Biden's leadership has become ineffective in the eyes of global leaders.

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"It's an embarrassment to our country - under Joe Biden, America is weaker, our enemies emboldened, and the world less peaceful," said Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY). "Jan. 20 can't come fast enough," he added, as reported by New York Post.

Biden told Xi that the two leaders have not always agreed, but their discussions have been“frank” and“candid.”, reported Reuters.

“Two months before Trump returns to the White House, U.S. officials see magnified risks of conflict during the transition. Biden told Xi that maintaining leader-to-leader talks would be vital even after he left office,” said Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

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Meanwhile, Trump's presidential campaign has indicated a more confrontational approach to China, with the president-elect pledging to impose blanket 60% tariffs on US imports of Chinese goods as part of his“America First” trade agenda. This move is expected to escalate tensions, as Beijing strongly opposes such tariffs.

Additionally, Trump plans to appoint several hawkish figures on China to key roles in his administration, including US Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state and Representative Mike Waltz as national security adviser.

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