Asia-Pacific to Overhaul Trade Ties Amid Rising Tensions

Facing increasing fractures in global trade, Asia-Pacific leaders adopted a joint declaration prioritizing resilience at the APEC summit, hosted by South Korea. Rising tensions and aggressive economic strategies, like U.S. tariffs and China's controls, were key issues.

Despite announcing trade deals with China and South Korea, U.S. President Donald Trump left before the summit began. His absence, however, didn't hinder Washington's influence, with multilateralism omitted from the final document, analysts noted.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's interactions with Chinese President Xi Jinping focused on strengthening Seoul-Beijing ties amid China-U.S. rivalry, with North Korea's denuclearization as a crucial topic.