South Korean President Lee Jae Myung hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Saturday for their first meeting, as Xi used the APEC summit to revive long-fraught regional relationships in the absence of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The talks on the sidelines of the APEC gathering came on the final day of Xi's first trip to South Korea in more than a decade and a day after his meeting with Canada's premier that was a reset of the nations' damaged ties.
Trump had flown to South Korea for the summit, but promptly jetted home Thursday after sealing a trade war pause with Xi, with the two agreeing to dial down a dispute that has roiled markets and disrupted global supply chains.
Trump's departure left the Chinese leader to take center stage at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, where he framed Beijing as a responsible power against the chaos unleashed by the United States on the international order.
Lee welcomed Xi at a grand opening ceremony complete with soldiers wearing traditional garb.
