Xi Jinping urges global cooperation and free trade at APEC summit as Trump departs early
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged world leaders to strengthen economic globalisation and uphold multilateralism at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea — an event notably missed by US President Donald Trump. Xi took the spotlight during the two-day summit, which began on Friday, meeting with several regional leaders while Trump left South Korea a day earlier after signing deals aimed at cooling tensions in the ongoing trade war between Washington and Beijing. “The more turbulent the times, the more we must work together,” Xi said at the opening session. “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 warned against protectionist measures and economic decoupling — a veiled criticism of Trump’s “America First” policy and tariff-driven trade […]
