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China's Xi poised for 1st trip to South Korea in 11 yrs for summits with Lee, Trump

Published: 30 Oct. 2025, 08:56

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, chats with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2017. [AP/YONHAP]

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to arrive in South Korea on Thursday to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting and hold talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump on high-profile issues ranging from tariffs to security.

The upcoming trip marks Xi's first visit to South Korea since 2014 and may set the stage for Beijing's future relations with Seoul and Washington amid the escalating U.S.-China trade and security rivalry, which has hardened the Seoul-Washington-Tokyo alignment against China and its allies.

Shortly after arriving via Gimhae International Airport, Xi will meet Trump in the southeastern city of Busan, near the APEC summit venue in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, for their first in-person talks since June 2019 under the global spotlight.

The meeting comes as the two superpowers remain locked in a tariff war, with Beijing expanding its rare earths export controls while Washington threatens an additional 100 percent tariff.

Last week, trade negotiators from both countries reached a framework agreement in Malaysia, paving the way for the upcoming summit between Trump and Xi, effectively averting ruinous U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said the threatened 100 percent tariffs are now "effectively off the table," during a recent media interview.

Announcing the upcoming talks on Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun reportedly said, "The two leaders will have in depth communication on strategic and long-term issues concerning China-U.S. relations, as well as major issues of mutual concern."

"We are willing to work together with the U.S. side to ensure that this meeting yields positive outcomes, provides new guidance and injects new momentum into the stable development of China-US relations," AFP quoted him as saying.

Xi's separate summit with Lee, set for Saturday, is expected to become a key moment in shaping future South Korea-China relations, which have cooled in recent years amid the growing China-U.S. rivalry. The tensions have cemented Seoul-Washington-Tokyo alignment and tipped South Korea's balance between the two superpowers apparently in favor of the United States.

Lee and Xi are widely expected to use their upcoming summit to reaffirm the necessity for their countries to maintain close relations as key economic partners and geographic neighbors.

Calls to upgrade their 10-year-long free trade agreement, expand a visa-free travel program, address North Korea-related issues and enhance bilateral exchange programs are among the key topics likely to be on the agenda at the Lee-Xi summit.

During his speeches at APEC meetings and talks with other leaders on the sidelines, Xi is also expected to emphasize China's support for multilateralism, free trade and the increased rights and voices of developing countries, reiterating its anti-protectionist stance, apparently aimed at the United States.

One key point of attention during Xi's trip to South Korea will be whether he holds a bilateral meeting with new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, after Chinese state media have criticized her for defending Japan's imperialist past.

Yonhap