<p>Donald Trump will take part on Friday in the virtual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, a senior US official said, as the president continues to reject the results of this month's election.</p>.<p>The APEC forum, hosted this year by Malaysia but held online because of the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/coronavirus-live-news-covid-19-latest-updates.html" target="_blank">Covid-19</a> pandemic, brings together 21 Pacific Rim countries, accounting for about 60 per cent of global GDP.</p>.<p>"President Trump will participate in tomorrow's virtual APEC Summit," the official told AFP.</p>.<p>Beijing has become the main driving force behind the organisation after the United States began withdrawing from multilateral bodies during Trump's presidency.</p>.<p>President Xi Jinping spoke at the summit on Thursday, hailing China as the pivot point for global free trade, and vowing to keep its "super-sized" economy open for business as the world battles the pandemic.</p>.<p>Buoyed by the signing of the world's largest trade pact over the weekend, Xi said the Asia-Pacific is the "forerunner driving global growth" in a world hit by "multiple challenges."</p>.<p>He rejected any possibility of the "decoupling" of China's economy, in his only nod to the hostile trade policy of Trump's administration, which has battered China with tariffs and tech restrictions.</p>.<p>The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which excludes the US, is viewed as a major coup for China and further evidence that Beijing is setting the agenda for global commerce as Washington retreats.</p>
<p>Donald Trump will take part on Friday in the virtual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, a senior US official said, as the president continues to reject the results of this month's election.</p>.<p>The APEC forum, hosted this year by Malaysia but held online because of the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/coronavirus-live-news-covid-19-latest-updates.html" target="_blank">Covid-19</a> pandemic, brings together 21 Pacific Rim countries, accounting for about 60 per cent of global GDP.</p>.<p>"President Trump will participate in tomorrow's virtual APEC Summit," the official told AFP.</p>.<p>Beijing has become the main driving force behind the organisation after the United States began withdrawing from multilateral bodies during Trump's presidency.</p>.<p>President Xi Jinping spoke at the summit on Thursday, hailing China as the pivot point for global free trade, and vowing to keep its "super-sized" economy open for business as the world battles the pandemic.</p>.<p>Buoyed by the signing of the world's largest trade pact over the weekend, Xi said the Asia-Pacific is the "forerunner driving global growth" in a world hit by "multiple challenges."</p>.<p>He rejected any possibility of the "decoupling" of China's economy, in his only nod to the hostile trade policy of Trump's administration, which has battered China with tariffs and tech restrictions.</p>.<p>The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which excludes the US, is viewed as a major coup for China and further evidence that Beijing is setting the agenda for global commerce as Washington retreats.</p>