Trump and Xi may meet at APEC, putting Korea's diplomatic skills to the test

Home > National > Diplomacy

Trump and Xi may meet at APEC, putting Korea's diplomatic skills to the test

Published: 18 Sep. 2025, 18:18 Updated: 18 Sep. 2025, 19:00

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan on June 29, 2019. [AP/YONHAP]

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are both expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju at the end of next month, raising the likelihood that their first bilateral meeting under Trump’s second term will take place in Korea.

The prospect of a U.S.-China summit has made APEC this year’s most prominent diplomatic stage, while putting President Lee Jae Myung in a position where his diplomatic skills will be tested between the two powers.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, after talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Wednesday, told reporters he felt "quite certain" about Xi’s visit to Korea for APEC. He added that discussions included a potential visit to Korea by Wang next month as part of advance preparations.

Also on Wednesday, Joseph Yun, chargé d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, said the Korean and U.S. presidents would "meet at the Gyeongju APEC summit," confirming Trump's planned trip.

If both leaders attend, it would mark the first time in 13 years that U.S. and Chinese presidents have visited Korea simultaneously, with the last time being the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit.

The event is seen as a symbolic opportunity for Korea to reassert its place on the global stage after several years of political turmoil involving martial law and impeachment.

Both Washington and Beijing are expected to use APEC to highlight their trade agendas. While the Trump administration continues to press high tariffs, China has positioned itself as a "defender of free trade."

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, left, shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a meeting in Beijing, China, on Sept. 17. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

"China and Korea must defend the international free trade system and jointly oppose protectionism in an era of unilateral bullying," Wang said Wednesday during the bilateral talks with Cho.

Founded in 1989, APEC has traditionally been friendly toward the United States, with Korea, Japan, Canada and Australia among its founding members. China only joined in 1991. Although not a typical Western-centric forum like the Group of Seven (G7) or Group of Twenty (G20), APEC has also traditionally kept a strong pro-U.S. atmosphere. But this year’s dynamics could be different, as Trump’s tariffs have hit even allies hard.

Korea has also felt the strain. Despite agreeing in July to a mutual 15 percent tariff arrangement, follow-up talks have stalled, leaving a 25 percent tariff on cars still in place. Korea has pledged about $350 billion in investments in the United States, but disagreements persist over what Seoul calls Washington’s one-sided conditions on investment methods and profit distribution.

These tensions loom over efforts to draft a joint statement at APEC. The forum has adopted such statements annually since 1993, but failed in 2018 in Papua New Guinea due to U.S.-China trade disputes.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, on Sept. 17. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

"The chair's skill will be critical," said a diplomatic source. "A 'Gyeongju Declaration' is likely, focusing on points of agreement while leaving out divisive issues. However, we must watch the specific discussion process."

Attention is also on the bilateral summits expected on the sidelines, including Korea-U.S. and Korea-China meetings. Analysts say comparing Lee’s messages to Trump's and Xi's will reveal the practical direction of his foreign policy.

Last month in Washington, Lee declared an end to the old formula of "security from the U.S., economy with China." In an interview published by TIME Magazine on Thursday, he said, "We will stand together with the U.S. in the new global order, as well as supply chains centered on the U.S., but there is a need for us to manage our relationship with China so as not to antagonize them."

Seoul is working to make Xi’s trip Korea’s first state visit by a Chinese leader in 11 years. Cho said the visit's nature "has not been finalized" but added that a bilateral state visit "could be pursued."

President Lee Jae Myung, second from left, speaks at a luncheon meeting with research center heads at security firms at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on Sept. 18. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

This suggests Xi may extend his stay in Korea after APEC for a state agenda. In this case, the Korean government is considering pushing for a state visit, the first in 11 years since 2014. Regarding Xi's visit to Korea, Cho stated, "The nature of the visit has not yet been discussed," but added, "A bilateral visit could also be pursued."

Trump, however, is considered unlikely to make a state visit, given his unpredictable travel schedule and the rarity of multiple state visits tied to multilateral events.

During the Thursday Korea-China foreign ministers' talks, both sides avoided contentious issues and focused on managing relations ahead of APEC.

Cho said China gave a "sincere response" to Korea’s concerns over structures in the Yellow Sea, and confirmed that China reiterated its "unchanging stance" on its Korean Peninsula policy, though without mentioning denuclearization directly.

There are still variables affecting the possible U.S.-China summit on the sidelines of APEC. Beijing is said to prefer Trump visiting China in a bilateral format, rather than holding their first summit during a multilateral meeting. Recently, China has sought to entice Trump into visiting by offering "gifts," such as agreeing to sell TikTok's U.S. operations.

If Trump were to visit Beijing before or after APEC, Xi's schedule in Korea could also be affected. In this complicated situation, some observers said it was premature for Cho to say Xi's visit felt "certain," given the absence of an official announcement from Beijing.

After the meeting, China’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement that simply said the two countries had agreed to coordinate and support each other in successfully hosting their respective APEC summits this year and next, without any mention of Xi visiting Korea.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK HYUN-JU [[email protected]]