• Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping will meet on the sidelines of the APEC summit in South Korea, their first encounter in over six years.
  • The meeting occurs amid heightened geopolitical tensions and follows recent diplomatic overtures from North Korea.
  • Trade discussions are expected to be a key focus, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirming the "pull aside meeting" will address trade issues.

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet in South Korea during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which runs from October 31 to November 1, 2025, in the historic city of Gyeongju. The meeting, confirmed by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, will mark the leaders' first face-to-face encounter since Trump left office more than six years ago.

Bessent described the planned encounter as a "pull aside meeting" focused primarily on trade discussions, according to people familiar with his comments. The Treasury Secretary's emphasis on trade suggests tariff policies and agricultural exports, including soybeans affected by ongoing disputes, will feature prominently on the agenda.

President Xi is planning a two-night, three-day visit to South Korea, during which he will hold consecutive summits with both South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and President Trump. This represents Xi's first visit to South Korea in 11 years, since his last trip during the Park Geun-hye administration in 2014.

The diplomatic format of Xi's visit remains somewhat unresolved, according to people familiar with the planning. While the schedule has been finalized, whether it constitutes merely attendance at the APEC summit or an official bilateral visit carries different diplomatic implications. An official bilateral visit would strongly signify consideration of Sino-South Korean relations separate from the multilateral APEC framework.

The meeting comes at a particularly delicate moment in Northeast Asian politics. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently expressed having "fond memories" of his meetings with Trump during his first term and stated that if the United States drops "the absurd obsession with denuclearizing us," there would be "no reason for us not to sit down with the United States." This comes after inter-Korean ties froze following the failed 2019 Trump-Kim summit in Vietnam.

China's regional role has intensified recently, with Xi Jinping hosting Kim Jong-un at a major military parade in Beijing on September 3, commemorating the 80th anniversary of World War II's end. Notably, Xi did not mention North Korean denuclearization in his public statements, leading some analysts to suggest China now accepts North Korea as a de facto nuclear state.

South Korean officials have expressed cautious optimism about the potential for regional diplomatic breakthroughs. President Lee's administration, which assumed power in June 2025, particularly hopes that North Korea will feature prominently in the Trump-Xi discussions. South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok stated, "We always hope that China will make positive contributions when it comes to inter-Korean relations."

The APEC summit venue itself holds symbolic importance, as China will assume the APEC chairmanship next year, meaning Xi is expected to receive the chairmanship at the meeting's conclusion. This adds another layer of significance to what already represents the most substantial diplomatic engagement between the US and China in years.

Efforts to reach representatives from both administrations for additional comment were unsuccessful late Thursday.