Xi takes the centre stage, vows to protect free trade

APEC SUMMIT | As Trump skips meet, Chinese prez pitches for supply chain stability, calls for united fight in turbulent times

- AP

Chinese leader Xi Jinping told Asia-Pacific leaders on Friday that his country would help to defend global free trade at an annual economic regional forum snubbed by US President Donald Trump.

Xi took centre stage at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that began on Friday in the South Korean city of Gyeongju, as Trump left the country a day earlier after reaching deals with Xi meant to ease their escalating trade war.

This year's two-day APEC summit has been heavily overshadowed by the Trump-Xi meeting that was arranged on the sidelines. Trump's decision to skip APEC fits with his wellknown disdain for big, multination forums that have been traditionally used to address global problems. But his blunt dismissal of APEC risks worsening America's reputation at a forum that represents nearly 40 per cent of the world's population and more than half of global goods trade.

Xi for multilateralism