President Biden Meets with Mexican President López Obrador
President Biden is meeting with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and hosting a leaders retreat Friday to close out the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation, after three days of huddling with other world leaders in San Francisco.
Migration will be a key topic of conversation for the U.S. and Mexican presidents, as both countries deal with an overwhelming influx of migrants crossing their borders. As it was during Mr. Biden's lengthy meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, fentanyl is sure to be a topic of conversation for the U.S. and Mexican presidents, too.
Mr. Biden and Xi announced Wednesday that China would tell companies to restrict shipments to the western hemisphere of pill presses and precursor chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl, largely in Mexico, that is then trafficked across the southern border in the U.S. The Associated Press noted that China has resumed information sharing with an international database about suspected trafficking.
President Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador had an uneasy relationship at times. Last year, Obrador decided to skip the U.S.-hosted Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles because Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua were not invited. Initially, Obrador also planned to skip this year's APEC conference due to Mexico's lack of relations with Peru, the next host of APEC. Both leaders are facing reelection next year.
During the APEC summit, Obrador and Chinese President Xi Jinping also had a meeting where they committed to combating drug trafficking between their countries.
The highly anticipated meeting between President Biden and President Xi also resulted in the announcement of the resumption of military communications between the U.S. and China. Additionally, Xi announced that China would send pandas to California as a gesture. This came after the Chinese pandas that had been residing in Washington, D.C., at the National Zoo returned to China earlier this month.
Aside from meeting with Xi, President Biden also had meetings with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during the APEC summit.
The meeting between President Biden and President Obrador is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET or 10 a.m. local time.
How to Watch President Biden's Meeting with the Mexican President
- What: President Biden meets with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador
- Date: Nov. 17, 2023
- Time: 1 p.m. ET/ 10 a.m. PST
- Location: APEC summit, San Francisco, California
- Online stream: Live on CBS News in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device.
