How U.S.-China tensions go away nations like South Korea caught within the center : NPR

GYEONGJU, South Korea — President Trump sat down with President Xi Jinping of China on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation conference (APEC) in South Korea final week.

The leaders of the world’s greatest economies met on the airport in Busan, an hour’s drive away from the APEC host metropolis of Gyeongju, for simply an hour and 40 minutes.

Regardless of the brevity of the much-anticipated rendezvous — and Trump’s absence in the principle APEC Financial Leaders’ Summit — the nations’ commerce dispute loomed giant over the occasion.

On Saturday, representatives from APEC’s 21 member nations acknowledged challenges going through the worldwide commerce system and provide chains in a joint declaration. They known as for “a commerce and funding atmosphere that promotes resilience and advantages for all.”

Tensions on present at APEC

Because the chair of this yr’s APEC, President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea advocated for the multilateral discussion board’s position regardless of “totally different values and aims” amongst its members. “The purpose is to determine frequent challenges that may be mentioned collectively and to maximise cooperation inside potential scope,” Lee stated.

However some specialists query how viable and concrete such cooperation will be when the U.S. is shifting from a supporter of commerce liberalism to an more and more protectionist and transactional place.

It was “due to benign U.S. management” and “a transparent lack of safety considerations” within the post-Chilly Struggle period that APEC might set the agenda for the worldwide commerce regime, says Jeffrey Robertson, an affiliate professor of Diplomatic Research at Yonsei College in Seoul.

Remodeling the establishment to replicate the brand new international order is tough for comparatively small gamers within the area, he provides, “as a result of they’re caught between america and China.”

President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese language President Xi Jinping shake arms earlier than their assembly at Gimhae Worldwide Airport in Busan, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025.

Mark Schiefelbein/AP/AP

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Mark Schiefelbein/AP/AP

Korea: between China and the U.S.

Like many APEC members, South Korea’s balancing act between the U.S. and China has been put to check.

Its relationship with China suffered in 2016 when South Korea determined to host a U.S. missile protection system often called THAAD. China retaliated with measures aimed on the nation’s tourism, retail and leisure industries — lots of that are nonetheless in impact.

Although China stays the most important importer of South Korean items, it could quickly be outpaced by the U.S. In keeping with 2024 information from the Korea Worldwide Commerce Affiliation, China’s purchases had been forward of the U.S. by lower than one proportion level, down from practically 15 factors a decade in the past.

South Koreans more and more see the U.S. as a very powerful nation for his or her nation’s economic system, along with safety, surveys present. Throughout an August go to to Washington, President Lee declared that South Korea’s “U.S. for safety, China for economic system” strategy is over.

The tariff deal finalized this week between Washington and Seoul is more likely to additional join the allies’ economies. In return for a lowered tariff on automobiles and auto elements, South Korea agreed to speculate 350 billion {dollars} within the U.S. over a interval of not less than 10 years.

China and Korea’s rising rivalry

In distinction, China and South Korea have grown more and more at odds as China’s technological development accelerated. As soon as a producing subcontractor of South Korean firms, China has now develop into their international rival in key industries like EV and electronics.

In opposition to this backdrop, Koreans’ sentiment towards China is souring, notably amongst youthful generations. There have been anti-China rallies in downtown Seoul in current months, the place protesters chanted racist slurs and made unsubstantiated claims of Chinese language inference in South Korean politics. Some marched in Gyeongju this week, chanting “CCP [Chinese Communist Party] out.”

These tensions had been on present at APEC, the place South Korea’s President Lee met with Chinese language President Xi. Earlier than that assembly, the Chinese language ambassador to Korea, Dai Bing, warned of “regression” within the bilateral relations.

Moreover, Chinese language overseas ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun known as on the U.S. and South Korea to “earnestly fulfill their nuclear non-proliferation obligations, and do what’s conducive to regional peace and stability.” That assertion got here in response to President Trump’s current approval of Seoul’s push for a nuclear-powered submarine. Individually, earlier in October, China imposed sanctions on 5 U.S. subsidiaries of Hanwha Ocean, a South Korean shipbuilder that owns the principle shipyards in Philadelphia.

At their bilateral summit, Lee and Xi had been each constructive about their nations’ relations, reaffirming their dedication to continued, secure financial cooperation. Lee’s nationwide safety advisor Wi Sung-lac known as the assembly a “complete restoration” of relations.

Nonetheless, there have been tensions beneath the floor. Wi Sung-lac revealed no fast progress on the lingering sanctions over THAAD, and sidestepped giving a direct reply on the submarine situation. When requested concerning the current sanctions on Hanwha Ocean, he stated he anticipated it to be resolved when the U.S.-China commerce dispute is resolved.