As world leaders meet in San Francisco for the annual APEC summit, the event is drawing out a number of unexpected guests as well.
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The annual APEC summit of world leaders is currently being held in San Francisco, U.S. and one can see how much security has been increased in the surrounding areas, especially at the venues and hotels.
Given the number of high-profile government officials attending the event, it is not uncommon to see several civilians take the opportunity to air their grievances, hoping to have their plights noticed and addressed.
One woman from China called on President Xi Jinping (習近平) to look at how hard the lives of Chinese people are and to see the injustices they have endured.
When interviewed, this woman said that in 2013, the Chinese government seized her father's factory building at a low price. Her father refused to accept the deal and went to Beijing to appeal and defend his rights. The government later imprisoned her father for blackmailing the government, and he eventually died in prison.
“My father was imprisoned for six years. The public servants that are supposed to serve the people, sent your people to prison to die instead. And up to now, we don’t even know how my father died.”
According to China's Foreign Ministry, Xi will be in San Francisco from November 14 to 17 for the 30th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and China-U.S. summit.
As world leaders meet against the backdrop of progress amongst nations, one can only hope that the plight of helpless individuals can be heard as well.