Jakarta (ANTARA) - US President Joe Biden had invited President Joko Widodo, well-known as Jokowi, to visit Washington this November, the White House noted in a statement received here on Monday.

Biden and Jokowi had the opportunity to engage on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India, last week.

During their meeting, he congratulated Jokowi on his leadership of ASEAN, as the 2023 chair, and of the G20 during Indonesia’s 2022 presidency, according to the statement.

“President Biden looks forward to welcoming President Jokowi to Washington for a bilateral meeting at the White House this November and also looks forward to welcoming President Jokowi to San Francisco for the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week,” the White House stated.

Biden skipped the summits of Southeast Asian leaders, ASEAN Summit, in Jakarta last week and sent Vice President Kamala Harris instead to attend the three-day forum.

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The US is one of ASEAN's dialogue partners along with China, India, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, and Australia.

The United States will chair the APEC Economic Leaders' Week on November 15-17, 2023, in San Francisco, California.

APEC is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific and create greater prosperity for the people of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative, and secure growth and by accelerating regional economic integration.

APEC has 21 members: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Peru, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the US, and Vietnam.

The 21 APEC member economies account for nearly 40 percent of the global population and nearly 50 percent of global trade.

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Reporter: Shofi Ayudiana
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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