Xi Jinping Arrives in South Korea for APEC Summit; to Meet Trump and Lee on Trade and Security Issues

Key Points:

• Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump during his South Korea visit.
• Xi–Trump talks in Busan expected to focus on tariffs, rare earths, and broader China–US relations.
• Xi’s separate summit with Lee aims to reset cooling China–South Korea ties amid regional power shifts.

Seoul, Oct 2025 : Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in South Korea on Thursday to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and hold separate talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump, with discussions expected to span a wide range of issues — from tariffs and trade to regional security and diplomatic balance.

A flight carrying the Chinese leader landed at Gimhae International Airport, marking Xi’s first visit to South Korea since 2014. His visit comes ahead of a planned meeting with President Trump in Busan, the southeastern port city hosting key APEC sessions this week. The summit between Xi and Trump is reportedly scheduled for 11 a.m. on Friday.

Earlier in the day, President Trump departed from Gyeongju, this year’s APEC host city, aboard Marine One, the presidential helicopter, en route to Busan for the high-stakes bilateral meeting.

Xi’s trip is widely viewed as a potential turning point in Beijing’s evolving relations with both Seoul and Washington, coming amid intensifying US–China tensions over trade, technology, and regional security. The ongoing rivalry has reinforced the Seoul–Washington–Tokyo strategic alignment, which Beijing sees as a challenge to its regional influence.

The Xi–Trump meeting is expected to dominate the APEC sidelines, as the two superpowers remain locked in a bitter tariff war. Beijing recently tightened export controls on rare earth elements, a key component in high-tech manufacturing, while Washington has threatened to impose additional 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods.

However, signs of a possible thaw have emerged. Last week, trade negotiators from both nations reached a framework agreement in Malaysia, paving the way for this week’s summit and temporarily averting a new round of punitive tariffs. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that the proposed tariff escalation is now “effectively off the table.”

Announcing the summit on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said that the two leaders would hold in-depth discussions on strategic and long-term issues concerning bilateral relations. “We are willing to work with the US to ensure the meeting yields positive outcomes, provides new guidance, and injects new momentum into the stable development of China–US ties,” Guo added.

Xi is also scheduled to hold a bilateral summit with President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday, which observers say could become a key moment in redefining China–South Korea relations. Ties between Beijing and Seoul have cooled in recent years, particularly as South Korea has moved closer to the US and Japan on defense and technology issues.

According to reports from Yonhap News Agency, the Xi–Lee meeting will focus on expanding bilateral economic cooperation, upgrading the 10-year-old free trade agreement, and resuming visa-free travel programs. The two leaders are also expected to discuss North Korea-related issues and explore new people-to-people and academic exchange initiatives.

During his address at the APEC plenary and in meetings with other world leaders, Xi is expected to reaffirm China’s commitment to multilateralism, free trade, and the interests of developing economies. Analysts believe these remarks are aimed at contrasting Beijing’s approach with Washington’s protectionist trade stance.

A point of keen diplomatic interest during Xi’s visit will be whether he holds a bilateral meeting with Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Relations between Beijing and Tokyo have recently strained further after Chinese state media criticized Takaichi for defending Japan’s imperial-era actions.

Xi’s South Korea trip thus serves as a crucial diplomatic balancing act — one that could shape China’s engagement with regional partners and influence the strategic calculus across the Asia-Pacific in the months ahead.