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Trump, Xi set to meet at APEC Korea summit in October

Published: 22 Sep. 2025, 07:00 Updated: 22 Sep. 2025, 12:19

Traditional Russian wooden dolls called matryoshka depicting China's President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump at a souvenir shop in St. Petersburg, Russia, Nov. 21, 2024. [AP/YONHAP]

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju in late October, and the Korean government, as host, is busy stepping up preparations.

"It is welcome news that a U.S.-China summit will take place in Korea on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Gyeongju,” said a presidential office official on Sunday in a phone call with the JoongAng Ilbo. “Korea is willing to support it fully.”

This will be the first time in 13 years that leaders of the United States and China visit Korea simultaneously, following the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit, when then-President Barack Obama and then-President Hu Jintao both attended. Trump and Xi are also meeting for the first time in more than six years, since the Group of 20 summit in Japan in June 2019.

The Office for Government Policy Coordination is overseeing government preparations for the APEC summit. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok will visit Gyeongju on Friday for a final on-site inspection, his fifth such visit. Later that day, Kim will lead a nationwide counterterrorism drill at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.

The presidential office is also paying close attention to the possibility of a second Korea-U.S. summit during Trump’s stay. “We welcome President Trump’s visit to Korea,” an official said, adding that Seoul and Washington will continue detailed discussions on scheduling. If a summit takes place during APEC, it will come roughly two months after the last bilateral summit on Aug. 25.

Trade, where negotiations remain stalled, is the most pressing bilateral issue. However, officials acknowledge that a breakthrough before APEC is uncertain.

U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a bilateral meeting with Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Aug. 25 in the Oval Office in Washington. [THE WHITE HOUSE]

“Working-level consultations are ongoing, but it is not yet at the stage for discussion between leaders,” said a senior Presidential Office official, adding, “We will have to see.” National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac told reporters on Friday that until the Korea-U.S. summit at the end of last month, "there had been broad agreement in the tariff field and relative stability, but as detailed discussions progressed, differences have grown and the situation is now more difficult.”

Instead, security is emerging as the area where progress is more likely to come before APEC. The Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue will take place at the Defense Ministry in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Acting Defense Policy Director Yoon Bong-hee and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia John Noh will lead their respective delegations, joined by senior officials from both defense and foreign affairs ministries.

“The talks will address a wide range of alliance issues, to advance the Korea-U.S. alliance into a future-oriented comprehensive strategic alliance," a Defense Ministry official said.

In October, the fifth meeting of the Korea-U.S. Nuclear Consultative Group is also expected. The consultative body was established under the Washington Declaration signed by the two leaders in 2023 and serves as a platform for discussing U.S. nuclear operations in contingencies. The session may also touch on amendments to the bilateral nuclear agreement. A senior government official said the "possibility of holding the meeting is under review."

U.S. President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting with China's President Xi Jinping during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Another option under discussion is an early meeting of the Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), involving Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The SCM could cover topics such as updating the role of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) as part of “alliance modernization.”

“There could be some flexibility in the role of USFK, but we are ensuring that flexibility does not cross limits that would endanger our security,” Security Adviser Wi said during his Friday conference. “The president believes modernizing the alliance requires our military to adopt a future-oriented strategic posture to contribute more effectively to regional security.”

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 OH HYUN-SEOK [[email protected]]