State leaders from most APEC member economies to attend with Trump, Xi invited as state guests
GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province — The historical city of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, is rolling out the red carpet for world leaders attending the APEC summit, which South Korea is hosting for the second time in 20 years.
Leaders representing the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation member economies are set to arrive starting Wednesday, two days before the summit kicks off on Friday.
Among the world leaders traveling to Gyeongju this week are US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, both of whom are on state visits to South Korea. Trump and Xi are expected to hold talks Thursday, while both are to meet South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung separately this week.
Trump will arrive in South Korea on Wednesday from Tokyo to meet with Lee, who is chairing the APEC conferences. However, Trump will skip the two-day APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, the main conference of the summit.
Trump hinted that he may extend his stay in South Korea if a meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong-un materializes. While en route Monday to Tokyo from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Trump said it would be "pretty easy" to extend his Asia tour.
The Chinese leader, on the other hand, will stay in South Korea through Saturday, as he is scheduled to attend the chairmanship ceremony, which will pass the role from Lee to Xi.
Sanae Takaichi, elected as Japan's new prime minister earlier in October, will also visit South Korea and is reportedly to hold a summit with Lee during her stay, potentially on Thursday.
Also traveling to Gyeongju are Australia's Prime Minster Anthony Albanese, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, Chile's President Gabriel Boric, Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto, New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, the Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Vietnam's President Luong Cuong, among others.
The prime ministers of Canada and Singapore will visit South Korea on official trips.
Alongside APEC leaders, the United Arab Emirates' crown prince, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the International Monetary Fund's Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, will also take part in the APEC conferences in Gyeongju.
Some of the 21 APEC member economies will dispatch high-ranking officials to lead their APEC delegations on behalf of their respective leaders.
For Taiwan, it has become customary for the president to skip the summit due to diplomatic constraints under China’s “One China” policy. Lin Hsin-i, a former vice premier of the Executive Yuan and now senior presidential adviser, is expected to attend. Lin also represented Taiwan at the APEC summit held in Busan in 2005.
APEC membership is based on participation as an “economy,” not a sovereign state, so members are referred to as “member economies” rather than “member countries.” Taiwan participates under this framework.
Similarly, in Hong Kong — a Special Administrative Region of China under the “One country, two systems” policy — Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will attend.
For Peru, which recently elected a new president following an impeachment crisis, Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism Teresa Mera is expected to attend. Representing Mexico, Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard is anticipated to lead the delegation to Gyeongju.
Most visiting leaders are expected to enter South Korea through Gimhae Airport near Busan and travel to Gyeongju under heavy security in motorcades, accompanied by convoys of official vehicles.
Some leaders may arrive via Incheon Airport and continue their journey to Gyeongju by domestic commercial flights or the KTX high-speed train.
Meanwhile, according to news reports, delegations from the US will stay at the Hilton Gyeongju, while delegations from China and Japan will be lodged in Kolon Hotel and Lahan Hotel, respectively. All are concentrated within the Bomun Lake Resort area. Delegations from Brunei, the Philippines and the UAE will stay in Busan, about an hour's drive from Gyeongju.
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