APEC ministerial talks begin amid geopolitical, trade tensions

Ministers from the Asia-Pacific region began a two-day meeting on Tuesday with economic cooperation and free trade increasingly at stake amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East and an intensifying U.S.-China rivalry.

The ministers from the 21 members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum are setting the stage for their leaders, who will meet later this week, to discuss the challenges faced by the region, with a much-hyped summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled to take place on the sidelines.

As the host of the event, th...