With Donald Trump’s stunning US election victory overshadowing two significant summits and a historic journey to the rainforest, President Joe Biden sets out on a sombre farewell tour of South America on Thursday.
Biden had intended that his six-day tour of Brazil and Peru would serve as a sort of handover to his Democratic successor, Kamala Harris, but Republican Trump will take his place in the White House.
The 81-year-old will be frantically attempting to support a legacy on trade, migration, foreign policy, and climate change that his successor has vowed to destroy as he says goodbye to other international leaders.
Whether his counterparts at the APEC summit in Lima and the G20 in Rio de Janeiro will see much value in talking to a lame-duck president is open to question.
Biden is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Peru for the second meeting in just over a year aimed at reducing tensions with a key adversary — and he will have trilateral talks with the leaders of allies Japan and South Korea.
On the eve of his departure, the White House insisted that Biden’s trip was still relevant, especially as US allies deal with the reality of Trump 2.0.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that in Peru on Friday and Saturday “the president will reinforce America’s leading role” in the Asia-Pacific region.
With China fearing a trade war with Trump and huge tariffs, Biden’s encounter with Xi would be “an important meeting. It will not be just a valedictory,” said Sullivan.
“There is actual work to do in this critical moment between the US and China to ensure that we don’t run into any problems in the next two months, in this transition of power,” he said.
But at every turn Biden’s tour threatens to run into the specter of a new Trump administration.
