Overview
- Leaders from 21 economies issued a joint declaration pledging deeper economic cooperation and endorsed separate statements on artificial intelligence and demographic challenges.
- U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping agreed on a provisional de‑escalation of recent trade measures during a sidelines meeting, offering short‑term relief while implementation and verification are left to follow‑up talks.
- Xi announced Shenzhen will host APEC in 2026 and used the forum to cast China as a defender of multilateral cooperation and stable supply chains.
- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met Xi after the summit, asking for Beijing’s help to restart dialogue with North Korea; Seoul said Xi pledged to continue efforts, and the two sides recorded agreements including a renewed currency swap and cooperation on online scams.
- Analysts noted the leaders’ text dropped customary references to a rules‑based multilateral trading system and the WTO, reflecting the difficulty of bridging U.S.–China differences even with a truce in place.