South Korea's president faces high-stakes diplomacy at APEC summit

South Korea’s new president will host leaders from 20 countries for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, where the American and Chinese leaders are set to hold a high-stakes meeting on the sidelines.

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The two-day annual APEC summit, which opens in Gyeongju on Friday, is likely to test Lee Jae Myung’s diplomatic abilities as he faces tough foreign policy challenges.

Lee, in office less than five months, seeks to get along with friends and rivals alike with his self-proclaimed “pragmatic diplomacy.” But prospects for greater cooperation with Washington and Tokyo are in doubt due to Trump’s tariff war and the election of a new ultraconservative leader in Japan. Tensions with North Korea remain high after Pyongyang snubbed Lee’s overture and bolstered ties with Russia and China instead.

In Gyeongju, Lee is expected to hold one-on-one meetings with U.S President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, while presiding over APEC events.

Experts say the summit may offer positive optics for Lee, but it doesn’t guarantee long-term diplomatic success.

A joint declaration and US-China tensions