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 strategy.
The Chinese president emphasised the need to preserve global supply chain stability and encouraged nations to expand cooperation in green industries and clean energy. However, some countries have criticised China’s dominance in green exports such as solar panels and electric vehicles, arguing that oversupply is disrupting their local markets.
Trump’s early departure from the summit followed a series of bilateral agreements with China. He hailed the talks as a major breakthrough, noting Beijing’s pledge to resume imports of US soybeans and allow the export of rare earth elements, in return for tariff reductions.
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