As agreed between China and the US, President Xi Jinping will meet with President Donald Trump in Busan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), on October 30 local time to exchange views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Wednesday.
Spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing that head of state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-US relations. At this meeting in the ROK, the two heads of state will have in-depth communication on strategic and long-term issues concerning China-US relations, as well as major issues of common concern, Guo said.
“We are willing to make joint efforts with the U.S. side to work for positive outcomes of this meeting, which will provide new guidance and impetus for the stable development of bilateral relations,” Guo said.
The upcoming meeting has attracted intensive attention from global media outlets.
A Reuters report stated that the confirmation of the meeting set up “a widely anticipated encounter that traders and investors on both sides of the Pacific hope will ease months of trade tensions.”
The Guardian published an article saying that “apart from the specifics of any agreements, the biggest progress at this week’s summit will be to underline the potential for constructive talks between the world’s two most powerful men.”
The greatest significance of this year’s APEC meeting will be the dialogue between Xi and Trump, Carl Fey, an American scholar and Professor of Strategy, BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo, told the Global Times. “If they strike a deal to lower trade barriers, that will be most welcome to other APEC leaders,” Fey said.
China’s role
Amid mounting trade shocks and heightened geopolitical uncertainties, Chinese President Xi will join leaders from APEC economies in South Korea in the coming days, in a bid to build consensus for shared prosperity and reaffirm China’s commitment to open, inclusive economic globalization.
At the invitation of President Lee Jae-myung of the South Korea, from October 30 to November 1, President Xi will attend the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju and pay a state visit to South Korea, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced last Friday.
On a sunny afternoon in Gyeongju, signs of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting are ubiquitous – from posters on both sides of major roads to APEC flags flying high above major venues. In a signal of the rapid approach of the marquee event, when Global Times reporters visited the main venue on Monday, workers were still putting final touches, but by Wednesday, the red carpets were officially rolled out.
As the 2025 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is about to kick off, Gyeongju, a vibrant cultural hub in eastern South Korea is getting ready to welcome APEC economic leaders to hold high-level talks on major regional and global issues ranging from trade to artificial intelligence (AI).
As regional and global trade faces tremendous challenges due to rising protectionism and unilateralism, many around the world are looking at how the APEC economy leaders will address the issue. In this regard, APEC provides a crucial platform for frank discussions, the executive director of the APEC Secretariat told the Global Times in an interview.
China has long been a critical supporter of the APEC, championing open and free trade. The country has also put forward many initiatives and concepts to promote APEC cooperation, including building an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future and forming an Asia-Pacific free trade area.
In interviews with the Global Times, people from various sectors in South Korea and experts from around the region highlighted China’s critical role in promoting peace and development in the region and beyond. At the meeting in Gyeongju, China’s initiatives for addressing various regional and global issues are highly anticipated.
While there are many talks about uncertainty in trade, Eduardo Pedrosa, executive director of the APEC Secretariat, told the Global Times on Tuesday that cooperation remains the key focus. “What I would say is watch out for cooperation when you don’t expect it. We live in this world where everyone is talking about volatility and uncertainty, but from the APEC process, look out for more cooperation than disagreement,” he said when asked about what the world should watch out for at this year’s meeting.
“China has been pushing for greater free trade or minimal tariffs and demonstrated predictability, improving its image internationally,” Fey told the Global Times, noting that a key issue that will be discussed at the APEC Economic Leaders’ meeting will be the future of “free or normal trade.”
In the interview, the APEC Secretariat chief also highlighted China’s role and contributions to APEC, as China is set to host the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. “It’ll be the third time that China hosts APEC. There’s a lot of experience in hosting these international meetings. So we’ll be looking forward to, again, a very well organized set of meetings,” Pedrosa said.
Key platform
For South Koreans, particularly residents in Gyeongju, this is a proud moment personally as well as for their country, which previously hosted the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting 20 years ago in 2005.
“It’s an honor for the local people to host a lot of leaders of foreign countries. Most of all, to Gyeongju, it’s a big opportunity to let the rest of the world know [about] Gyeongju,” Bae Joong Seon, a shop owner in Gyeongju, told the Global Times on Wednesday, as the television in the shop live streaming news about the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting not far away from his shop.
“This APEC meeting not only marks South Korea’s return to the right track after a period of turmoil but also carries profound significance in resuming multilateral diplomacy and fully launching middle-power diplomacy,” Hwang Jae-ho, director of the Institute for Global Strategy and Cooperation and Professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, stated in an interview with the Global Times reporters.
South Korea has been one of the core member countries since the inception of APEC. Amid current challenges to multilateral cooperation and free trade, the Gyeongju meeting will serve as a key turning point for the functional recovery and directional reset of APEC, Hwang said.
Amid rising geopolitical tensions, South Korea views the meeting as a key platform to promote tangible progress in key bilateral meetings, including China-US, China-South Korea. It seeks to build consensuses on three fronts: strengthening economic ties among members to resist unilateralism and protectionism, tackling AI’s opportunities and risks through collaborative action and addressing shared challenges like aging populations, Park Seung Chan, chairman of The Federation of Korea-China and a professor at Yongin University, told the Global Times.
As major economies in the Asia-Pacific, China and South Korea can play a demonstrative role in upholding the multilateral trade system. Through this APEC meeting and next year’s follow-up in China, both sides can strengthen bilateral coordination, and work with other members to consolidate the free trade system while resisting unilateralism and protectionism, Park said.
