CHINA President Xi Jinping is poised to hold talks with Japan’s newly appointed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, following a fragile trade agreement with U.S. President Donald Trump.
The truce, reached just before Trump departed South Korea, suspends further curbs on China’s rare earth exports that threatened global supply chains.
“The rougher the seas, the more we must pull together,” Reuters cited Xi telling leaders, stressing the need to protect the multilateral trading system and deepen regional economic cooperation.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung welcomed leaders, highlighting global economic uncertainty and shifting trade dynamics. “As the free trade order undergoes dramatic changes, global economic uncertainty is deepening and trade and investment are losing momentum,” Lee said. “Changes unseen in a century are accelerating across the world.”
Attention is now on Xi’s first meeting with Takaichi, whose nationalist and hawkish security policies could complicate Sino-Japanese relations. Sensitive issues are expected to include the detention of Japanese nationals in China and Beijing’s import restrictions on Japanese agricultural products.
Canada seeks to restart engagement with China after years of tense relations, with Prime Minister Carney set to meet Xi to explore new trade opportunities beyond its heavy reliance on the United States. Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin will also hold talks with Xi following an enhanced ceasefire deal with Cambodia, overseen by Trump.
South Korea, hosting the summit in historic Gyeongju, hopes to secure a joint leaders’ declaration, though fractures in global politics make consensus uncertain. “We are very close,” said South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, acknowledging ongoing negotiations.
Meanwhile, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is scheduled to speak to a parallel gathering of business executives, as the U.S. chipmaker navigates complex issues around the sale of advanced AI chips to China following the recent Xi-Trump discussions. - October 31, 2025
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