Chinese President Xi Jinping urged world leaders to defend economic globalisation and multilateral cooperation at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, a meeting notably snubbed by US President Donald Trump.
“The more turbulent the times, the more we must work together,” Xi said in his opening address on Friday. “The world is undergoing a period of rapid change, with the international situation becoming increasingly complex and volatile.”
Positioning China as a champion of free trade, Xi’s remarks were widely seen as a counterpoint to Trump’s protectionist “America First” stance and his push to decouple US supply chains from China. The Chinese leader called for stabilising global supply networks and boosting cooperation in clean energy and green technology, sectors where Beijing faces criticism for oversupply and undercutting foreign producers.
Trump, who left South Korea a day before the summit, met with Xi in Busan on Thursday and hailed the talks as “a roaring success.” The two leaders struck several trade deals aimed at cooling tensions, including Chinese pledges to buy US soybeans and ease restrictions on rare earth exports in exchange for lower US tariffs.
Skipping APEC fits Trump’s pattern of favouring high-profile bilateral summits over large multilateral gatherings. APEC, which represents more than half of global trade and nearly 40 percent of the world’s population, has traditionally been a platform for advancing regional economic cooperation.
Xi also held talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, with expectations of a “substantial economic deal,” according to Barton.
The summit brings together 21 Pacific Rim economies to discuss trade, technology, and shared challenges, from supply chain fragility to the impact of artificial intelligence. But divisions over US-China competition have raised doubts about whether the group can issue a unified joint statement.
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