Trump to Hold Bilateral Talks with Lee and Xi in South Korea During APEC Summit

US President Donald Trump will meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea next week as part of his Asia tour, which also includes visits to Malaysia and Japan, the White House announced on Thursday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump will meet Lee on Wednesday in Gyeongju, the host city for the APEC summit, followed by talks with Xi on Thursday. During his stay, Trump will also deliver a keynote speech at the APEC CEO luncheon and join a US-APEC leaders’ working dinner.
The Trump-Lee meeting will focus on trade, security, and diplomacy with North Korea. It follows recent negotiations between Washington and Seoul over South Korea’s $350 billion investment commitment under their bilateral trade framework. The two leaders last met at the White House in August.
The Trump-Xi meeting has attracted significant global attention amid renewed trade tensions, with discussions expected to cover potential agreements related to Beijing’s export controls on rare earth materials and the US threat of additional tariffs on Chinese imports.
Trump’s visit to South Korea has also sparked speculation about possible outreach to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, as the White House reiterated that Trump remains open to dialogue “without preconditions.”
Following his stops in Malaysia and Japan earlier in the week, Trump’s participation in the APEC summit is expected to focus on strengthening regional trade, security cooperation, and advancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region.