Sensitive Issues Loom... Will the China-Japan Gyeongju Summit Happen? [Gyeongju APEC]

Takaichi Coordinates Summit with Xi Jinping
Rare Earths, Military Activities Present Major Hurdles
Focus on Whether This Could Mark a Turning Point in Bilateral Relations

Sanae Takaichi, Prime Minister of Japan, who visited Korea to attend the Gyeongju APEC Summit, arrived at Busan Gimhae International Airport on the 30th and waved her hand greeting from the private jet. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Japanese media reported that newly appointed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is coordinating her first summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping since taking office, which is expected to take place on October 31.

Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported that Prime Minister Takaichi and President Xi are arranging to hold a bilateral summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, on the second day of the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. However, specific details regarding the time, venue, and agenda were not disclosed.

If the summit takes place, it will be the first meeting between the two leaders since the summit held on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Peru in November 2024, marking about one year. For Prime Minister Takaichi, it will be her first Japan-China summit since taking office.

Key topics are expected to include sensitive issues such as China’s rare earth export controls, military activities in the East and South China Seas, and the resumption of imports of Japanese seafood. Given that U.S. President Donald Trump recently pledged strengthened cooperation with the leaders of South Korea and Japan through bilateral meetings, there is also a possibility that China will seek to reaffirm its cooperative relationship with Japan.

China has expressed caution since Prime Minister Takaichi, known as a hardline conservative, took office. During her tenure as a lawmaker, she visited Yasukuni Shrine-where many Class A war criminals from the Pacific War are enshrined-every year and frequently emphasized strengthening Japan’s self-defense capabilities. This led to speculation that her election as prime minister could bring changes to Japan’s diplomatic stance toward China and South Korea. In fact, unlike with her predecessors, President Xi did not send a congratulatory message upon her inauguration.

This is why there is attention on whether the upcoming summit could serve as a turning point in bilateral relations. Before departing for South Korea the previous day, Prime Minister Takaichi told reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo that the meeting with President Xi was “under coordination.” She also stressed, “I want to build a solid relationship of trust with key leaders.”

However, there is still a possibility that the summit may not take place, as the Chinese government has yet to confirm the meeting and has maintained an ambiguous stance. On October 28, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke by phone with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and stated that “high-level exchanges between the two countries are of great significance for the development of bilateral relations,” raising the possibility of a summit, but no further comments have been made since then.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.