Xi Jinping’s moment and whirlwind diplomatic tours: key takeaways from the Apec summit in South Korea

1. After Trump went awol, this was Xi’s moment Having dominated the headlines for several days during visits to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, Donald Trump flew back to Washington on the eve of the Apec summit in Gyeongju, leaving his treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, to do his bidding. Whether by accident or design, Trump’s absence allowed Xi to fill the void and position himself as a unifying voice and champion of the region’s economic interests, and an alternative to “America first” protectionism. While Trump – who was showered with…

Era of free trade and investment is over, Canada’s PM tells Apec summit

The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has warned that the era of free trade and investment that formed the foundations of the postwar global economy has ended. In a stark message to Asia-Pacific leaders at the Apec summit in South Korea on Friday, Carney said rules-based open trade no longer worked in a global economy that was undergoing one of its most profound periods of change since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. “The old world of steady expansion of rules-based liberalised trade and investment, a world on…

Trump-Xi meeting: US president says rare earths deal and tariff reduction agreed in crunch trade talks

Donald Trump has described crucial trade talks with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, in South Korea as “amazing”, saying their dispute over the supply of rare earths had been settled and that he would visit China in April. In early comments, Chinese state media reported Xi as saying a “consensus” with Trump had been reached on trade issues, and that there were good prospects for cooperation on trade, immigration and fraud. After their meeting, the two shook hands and Trump immediately boarded Air Force One to return to Washington. He…

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping hold meeting in South Korea amid hopes for trade deal – live updates

From 34m ago Trump and Xi shake hands Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have greeted each other and shaken hands. Trump said Xi was a “very tough negotiator and that’s not good”. In the comment to reporters in Busan before the meeting got under way, the US president also said: “We have a great relationship.” Asked if he planned to sign a trade deal, Trump said: “Could be.” The Chinese president didn’t make any comments. Share Updated at 22.16 EDT <gu-island name="KeyEventsCarousel" priority="feature" deferuntil="visible" props="{"keyEvents":[{"id":"6902ca9e8f0860207cef1005","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":" At the table for the talks…

Apec summit ends with unity on WTO reform but not Gaza or Ukraine

Pacific Rim leaders have shown divisions over the wars in Ukraine and Gaza after a two-day summit of the Apec forum, while pledging support for reform of the World Trade Organization. The 21 economies that make up the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum – among them Russia, China, the US and Australia – did not mention either conflict in their final joint communique. Instead an accompanying chair’s statement noted the bloc had “exchanged views on the ongoing crisis in Gaza”. Days of meetings involving Apec ministers and leaders were dominated by…

Australia news live: migrant visa bill passes parliament with Coalition clauses; Optus chief to front Senate hearing

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Three key takeaways from Biden’s meeting with China’s president Xi Jinping – video

US president Joe Biden sat down with China’s president Xi Jinping for the first bilateral discussion between the leaders in 12 months. Speaking to media afterwards, Biden elaborated on three key components of the discussions including a collaborative effort to stop the flow of Fentanyl from China to the West, the ongoing threat of AI and re-establishing direct military communication. The Guardian

‘Planet Earth is big enough for two’: Biden and Xi meet for first time in a year

Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met in California on Wednesday, exchanging handshakes and smiles as they embarked on face-to-face dialogues that both sides hope will stabilise US-China relations. The US president opened his remarks by saying that tensions between the two countries should “not veer into conflict”. The Chinese president responded by saying that “turning their back on each other is not an option” for the superpowers. “Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed, and one country’s success is an opportunity for the other,” he said.…

US bars Hong Kong leader John Lee from San Francisco Apec summit

The United States will not invite Hong Kong’s chief executive, who faces US sanctions, to visit San Francisco during November’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. John Lee, Hong Kong’s top official, was placed under US sanctions in 2020 because of his role in implementing what Washington deems a “draconian” national security law when he was the city’s security secretary. Two congressional aides confirmed on Friday that the state department had notified members of Congress that Lee would not be invited, after the Washington Post reported on the decision on Thursday. In…