Apec leaders avoid controversy, pledge to deepen cooperation, as South Korea’s Lee says host city did well

GYEONGJU - The annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit held in the South Korean city of Gyeongju concluded with a joint declaration that emphasised the need to deepen cooperation to navigate the evolving global environment and ensure shared benefits of growth.

The statement, the drafting of which was not without contention, was centred on the economic grouping’s three priorities for 2025 – connectivity, innovation and prosperity – and consolidated discussions on trade and investment, digital transformation and inclusive growth. 

There

had been doubts earlier

on whether the joint declaration, which requires consensus from all 21 members, could be delivered against the backdrop of trade tensions.

The rivalry between the US and China, and the rise of protectionism with US President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff measures, have upended global trade practices. 

Mr Trump has long argued that free trade and the policies of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have been disadvantageous to the US, and his officials have opposed the reference to free trade in Apec declarations, whereas China has championed it.  

In his remarks on

the first day of the summit on Oct 31

, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Apec members to “practise true multilateralism, and enhance the authority and effectiveness of the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core”, the exact thing that the US eschews.

The final draft of the so-called Gyeongju Declaration was ready only at the last minute, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung revealed at a press conference following the annual forum’s conclusion on Nov 1. 

“There were disagreements over the text, and we managed to adjust those points with everyone’s agreement,” he said.

Notably, the statement did not include references to the “rules-based multilateral trade system” and the WTO, which Apec declarations usually include.

During Mr Trump’s first term, the 2018 Apec meeting ended up without a joint declaration for the first time in the forum’s 30-year history, as leaders could not agree on the language of the statement, amid the outbreak of the US-China trade war.

In their separate statement issued the same day, however, Apec foreign and trade ministers recognised “the importance of the WTO in advancing trade issues”, and that “the rules agreed upon at the WTO are key to facilitating global trade”.

Apart from the main document, the leaders also adopted the two initiatives driven by host South Korea, aimed at sharing the benefits of AI development and cooperating on demographic changes, specifically ageing populations and declining birth rates.

Trade tensions between the US and China, which entered a respite only after Mr Trump’s

summit with Mr Xi

in Busan on Oct 30, had made South Korea’s hosting of the Apec meetings even more challenging.

The new government,

installed only in June

, had just four months to prepare for the biggest event ever hosted in Gyeongju.

In an

earlier written interview with the S

traits Times

before the meetings, however, President Lee said he was not daunted by the hurdles. 

“Gyeongju is a city of over a thousand years of history – a living museum of Korea’s heritage. While it is smaller than other host cities, the government has invested heavily in upgrading facilities and accommodations to ensure a smooth event,” he said. “Every effort is being made to ensure all participants experience comfort and hospitality that meet international standards.”

Seoul also had the unenviable task of walking the diplomatic tightrope between its ally, the US, and its largest trading partner, China, with both leaders in town at the same time, albeit briefly.

Addressing the media after Apec meetings concluded, President Lee said that he believed South Korea did a good job with organising the meetings, focusing on the security and safety of participants.

On the sidelines of the meetings, Mr Lee had also pulled off summits with South Korea’s closest partners US, China and Japan.

Mr Lee is also hosting Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who had attended the Apec meetings in Gyeongju, on an official visit in Seoul from Nov 1 to 2.

The South Korean President had

met newly minted Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi

on Oct 30, and both agreed to develop bilateral ties in a future-oriented manner.

A day earlier, Mr Lee went on a golden offensive to charm Mr Trump at their summit on Oct 29, presenting him

with a replica of a gold crown

from the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla, and the country’s highest honour, the Grand Order of Mugunghwa. 

In contrast, the summit

with Chinese leader Mr Xi

at the Gyeongju National Museum on Nov 1 was more understated, in line with Mr Xi’s more reserved personality.

Mr Xi was presented with a Go board and a mother-of-pearl lacquer round tray. Both Mr Xi and Mr Lee are Go players, and Mr Lee’s office said the gift “carries the hope that the two countries will continue a good relationship”.

Relations between the two countries hit a nadir in 2017 over South Korea’s deployment of an American anti-missile defence system, and remained testy under previous leader Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservative administration when South Korea entered a

trilateral security arrangement with the US and Japan

in 2023.

But Mr Lee’s liberal government has since initiated steps to thaw the chill, including a move to grant

visa-free entry to Chinese tour groups

until June 2026. 

At their summit, Mr Lee told Mr Xi that he hoped to strengthen strategic communication with China to work towards the

resumption of talks with North Korea

.

While Mr Xi did not refer to North Korea directly in his response, the Chinese leader pledged to “inject more energy into the peaceful development of the region” and to promote the “stable and long-term development” of South Korea and China’s bilateral strategic relationship.

The two countries also inked seven memoranda of understanding, including one on currency swap arrangements and another on joint responses to online scams.

In a toast to Mr Xi at a gala dinner held in his honour, Mr Lee said that he looked forward to China playing a constructive role as South Korea “opens a new era of peaceful coexistence and shared growth.”

China takes over the Apec chairmanship for 2026, with the southern city of Shenzhen designated as the venue.

Singapore is slated to host the Apec in 2030.