China's Xi begins 3-day visit to S. Korea in first trip to country in 11 years
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, Thursday. Yonhap
Chinese President Xi Jinping began his three-day visit to South Korea on Thursday, which includes high-profile talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, attendance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
Xi arrived aboard a flight at Gimhae International Airport, marking his first visit to South Korea since 2014, before heading straight to a summit with Trump at the airport's Air Force reception facility in the southeastern port city of Busan.
Following his talks with Trump for one hour and 40 minutes, Xi boarded his official bulletproof vehicle, the Hongqi, before arriving at Kolon Hotel in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, the host city of the APEC gatherings, where he will be staying during the visit.
A special forces tank stood guard in the hotel's front yard, with large screens installed inside to block views from the outside as the hotel prepared to receive him. Nearly 200 police and security personnel were stationed at key points along the road leading to the hotel.
Hundreds of Chinese students studying in South Korea waved the South Korean and Chinese national flags near the entrance of the hotel as Xi's vehicle approached.
Xi's ongoing trip may set the stage for Beijing's future relations with Seoul and Washington amid the escalating U.S.-China trade and security rivalry, which has hardened the Seoul-Washington-Tokyo alignment against China and its allies.
The meeting between Xi and Trump came as the two superpowers remain locked in a tariff war, with Beijing expanding its rare earths export controls, while Washington threatened an additional 100 percent tariff.
Before boarding Air Force One at the Gimhae airport en route to Washington later Thursday, Trump told reporters that China agreed to suspend its rare earths export controls, while the U.S. decided to lower tariffs on Chinese goods by 10 percentage points.
Xi's separate summit with Lee, set for Saturday, is expected to become a key moment in shaping future South Korea-China relations, which have cooled in recent years amid the growing China-U.S. rivalry. The tensions have cemented Seoul-Washington-Tokyo alignment and tipped South Korea's balance between the two superpowers apparently in favor of the United States.
Lee and Xi are widely expected to use their upcoming summit to reaffirm the necessity for their countries to maintain close relations as key economic partners and geographic neighbors.
Calls to upgrade their 10-year-long free trade agreement, expand a visa-free travel program, address North Korea-related issues and enhance bilateral exchange programs are among the key topics likely to be on the agenda at the Lee-Xi summit.
During his speeches at APEC meetings and talks with other leaders on the sidelines, Xi is also expected to emphasize China's support for multilateralism, free trade and the increased rights and voices of developing countries, reiterating its anti-protectionist stance, apparently aimed at the U.S.
One key point of attention during Xi's trip to South Korea will be whether he holds a bilateral meeting with new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, after Chinese state media have criticized her for defending Japan's imperialist past.