An important diplomatic step was seen between South Korea and China during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference. Recently elected South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time. This meeting was held in Gyeongju city of South Korea, where both the leaders discussed many important issues in the state level meeting and dinner. The special thing about this visit was that Xi Jinping reached South Korea after almost a decade, which is expected to bring new energy in the relations between the two countries.

During the meeting, President Lee Jae-Myung appealed to China for help in resuming talks with North Korea. He said that the recent high-level talks between China and North Korea are indicating that a favorable environment is being created for talks with North Korea. “I want South Korea and China to take advantage of this positive environment to strengthen strategic communication and resume dialogue with North Korea,” Lee said.

Why is this meeting important?

According to Reuters report, this meeting was important for both the countries from economic and political point of view. Lee Jae-Myung gifted Xi Jinping a high-quality wooden board for the traditional Chinese strategic game ‘Go’ during the meeting. He said that South Korea wants to bring China closer as its largest trading partner.

What did Xi Jinping say?

Xi Jinping said in his address, “China and South Korea are important neighbors that can neither be removed nor isolated. Both countries should move forward with cooperation and trust.”

What happened between the two leaders in the meeting?

In the meeting, both the leaders also discussed regional stability, strengthening economic relations and maintaining security balance in Asia. South Korea, a strategic ally of the US, advocated a phased approach to North Korea’s denuclearization. However, North Korea rejected this proposal, calling it an “impossible dream”.

Leader Kim Jong Un had said this about America

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently said that he will talk to America only if America completely abandons the terms of denuclearization. This statement has increased tension in the region, but this meeting between South Korea and China is being seen as a new hope for restoration of peace in this direction.

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At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday (October 31) called on member countries to increase trade and investment, but also warned that they should not be part of the US effort to reduce the world’s dependence on China.

Xi Jinping became the only global superpower leader at the summit, after US President Donald Trump left South Korea a day earlier. At the beginning of the conference, he was seen smilingly shaking hands with the leaders and ministers of Japan, Canada, Australia and host South Korea.

What did Xi Jinping say in his address?

In his address, Xi said that Asia should stick to the policy of joining hands with each other, and not to the idea of ​​breaking the supply chain. He indirectly made a strong comment on the efforts of Western countries to move factories out of China. “We should strengthen industrial supply chains, not break them,” Xi said.

In another speech to business leaders, read by his representative, Xi took indirect aim at the United States, saying APEC countries should oppose protectionism and unilateral policies and “save the world from returning to the law of the jungle.”

However, China’s recent policies have weakened Xi’s appeal somewhat. In October, Beijing proposed new export controls on rare earth minerals, which would have given it extraordinary control over other countries. These minerals play an important role in the manufacturing of modern technologies such as semiconductors, batteries and jet aircraft. China dominates almost 90% of the world’s supply.

After meeting with Trump, China agreed to temporarily halt these controls. This meeting turned into a kind of diplomatic ceasefire between the two leaders and Trump praised Xi’s stability.

Xi Jinping and Sanae Takaichi met

But on Friday, Xi faced Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is considered a vocal critic of China. Takaichi raised issues of rare earth export controls, disputes in the East China Sea, and Japanese citizens detained on espionage charges in his meeting with Xi. He said that Japan has serious concerns about China’s military expansion in the South China Sea and human rights violations in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. Takaichi said, “There are definitely differences between us, but it is necessary to talk openly and directly on these issues.”

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Two-day talks were held in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, between senior officials of the world’s two largest economies, America and China. US Finance Minister Scott Besant told the media on Sunday that the meeting between the two sides will lay the foundation for the meeting between President Trump and Xi Jinping. The US Finance Minister said that issues related to agricultural procurement, TikTok, trade, rare earth minerals and bilateral relations were discussed in the conversation.

This dialogue between America and China is important not only from the commercial but also from the political point of view. The Chinese delegation, led by Vice Prime Minister He Lifeng, included trade representative Li Chenggang and Vice Finance Minister Liao Min. At the same time, the American side was led by Finance Minister Besant and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. According to sources, a large part of the meeting focused on issues like fentanyl smuggling and TikTok data security. America has long been accusing China that Chinese tech companies monitor the data of its citizens. However, this time the talks are said to be more positive than before. Both countries have said in a joint statement that dialogue is the best way to resolve differences.

Trump’s Asia tour and strategic message

This conversation took place at a time when President Donald Trump is on his first major tour of Asia in his second term. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim welcomed him upon his arrival in Malaysia. Trump gave a message of regional stability by witnessing the peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia. After Malaysia, Trump will visit Japan and South Korea. At the same time, he is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. This meeting will be the first face-to-face meeting of the two leaders after Trump returned to the White House in January.

What did Trump tell the journalists?

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, President Trump said he hoped talks with Xi Jinping would lead to a complete and practical agreement. He said, ‘We will have direct dialogue on issues like tariffs, exports, agricultural procurement, Taiwan policy and Ukraine. This is the most effective way to resolve differences.

This statement of Trump has come at a time when trade tensions, differences regarding Taiwan and technological competition between the two countries are continuously increasing. According to US officials, President Trump is planning to take a tough stance in this meeting on American concerns over TikTok and illegal trafficking of fentanyl.

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