he 2025 Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting will convene on 31 October through 1 November in South Korea under the theme “Building a Sustainable Tomorrow.” The annual summit will also prioritize the sub–themes of “connect, innovate, and prosper,” hoping to foster fruitful dialogues and cooperation among its 21 member states. At the end of the summit, leaders will ideally have outlined a way to achieve the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040—which focuses on trade, digitalization, and resiliency—and assess progress made through the Aotearoa Plan of Action. However, achieving true cooperation may prove difficult amid ongoing geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
Context
This year’s APEC Leaders’ Meeting is convening amid heightened geopolitical tensions that may make international collaboration difficult. Yet cooperation is particularly essential for the region as economic uncertainty grows. Back in May, APEC forecast that the economies of all 21 member states’ growth would drop from 3.6% in 2024 to 2.6%, largely due to tariffs and other policy suspensions that promote trade. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) released a report in September warning that the Asia–Pacific region “is facing a new era of trade turbulence.” The report suggests that Asia–Pacific nations need to build new trade relationships and strengthen regional ones, while also improving resilience to enhance the region’s economic outlook.
The 2025 APEC Leaders’ Meeting immediately follows the 2025 APEC CEO Summit, which runs from 28 October to 31 October. The APEC CEO Summit focused on the sub–themes “bridge, business, and beyond,” and will develop relationships between business leaders and heads of state.
What’s on the agenda
Heading into the 2025 APEC Leaders’ Meeting, here’s what you can expect:
- Presidents Trump and Xi will meet. The U.S. and China are the world's two largest economies, and the ongoing tensions between the two nations have significantly impacted the global economy. The two leaders are set to meet on 30 October, with President Trump expressing optimism about a possible trade deal. Still, regardless of the meeting's outcome, leaders at the summit will have to carefully navigate the tensions between the U.S. and China to foster successful collaboration.
- Supply chains need resilience. Supply chains are currently under threat from economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and the climate crisis. Tensions between the U.S. and China have exacerbated the toll on supply chains as both countries move to reduce their dependency on one another. Yet the ongoing supply chain disruptions also offer opportunities to build resilience. Countries can capitalize on geopolitical tensions and position themselves as new markets for materials and goods, thereby securing the global supply chain by creating more options. Similarly, investing in technology, specifically AI, can help develop more resilient supply chain strategies and allow for warning systems for potential disruptions.
- APEC positions itself as a regional hub for AI governance. APEC has held several conferences promoting sustainable and inclusive use of the rapidly evolving technology. Part of this governance includes encouraging global cooperation to develop AI standardization. As AI becomes further implemented in international trade, standardization will become essential to ensure it does not upend labor markets or economies.
What they’re saying
- From tariff hikes and retaliatory measures to the suspension of trade facilitation procedures and the proliferation of non–tariff barriers, we are witnessing an environment that is not conducive to trade. Director of the APEC Policy Support Unit Carlos Kuriyama.
- Across the region, countries are grappling with the challenge of sustaining growth amid a tumultuous global environment increasingly divided by rivalry between the world’s two largest markets. Connectivity, innovation, and prosperity now sit uneasily alongside trade disruptions, retaliatory tariffs, and fractured supply chains. Philip Luck and Richard Gray, commentary authors at CSIS.
- We are at a true inflection point, one that future generations may describe as before AI and after AI. South Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Dr. Koo Yun Cheol.
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APEC Leaders’ Meeting navigates economic risk and opportunity
Gyeongju, South Korea - Host city of this year’s APEC Leaders’ Meeting. Image by HYUNGNAM PARK from Pixabay
October 30, 2025
The 2025 APEC Leader’s Meeting convenes on 31 October at a time when the region is facing acute economic uncertainty and turbulence. Diplomatic Courier’s Stephanie Gull runs down what to expect at this year’s gathering as members look to improve trade relations and regional economic resilience.
T
he 2025 Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting will convene on 31 October through 1 November in South Korea under the theme “Building a Sustainable Tomorrow.” The annual summit will also prioritize the sub–themes of “connect, innovate, and prosper,” hoping to foster fruitful dialogues and cooperation among its 21 member states. At the end of the summit, leaders will ideally have outlined a way to achieve the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040—which focuses on trade, digitalization, and resiliency—and assess progress made through the Aotearoa Plan of Action. However, achieving true cooperation may prove difficult amid ongoing geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
Context
This year’s APEC Leaders’ Meeting is convening amid heightened geopolitical tensions that may make international collaboration difficult. Yet cooperation is particularly essential for the region as economic uncertainty grows. Back in May, APEC forecast that the economies of all 21 member states’ growth would drop from 3.6% in 2024 to 2.6%, largely due to tariffs and other policy suspensions that promote trade. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) released a report in September warning that the Asia–Pacific region “is facing a new era of trade turbulence.” The report suggests that Asia–Pacific nations need to build new trade relationships and strengthen regional ones, while also improving resilience to enhance the region’s economic outlook.
The 2025 APEC Leaders’ Meeting immediately follows the 2025 APEC CEO Summit, which runs from 28 October to 31 October. The APEC CEO Summit focused on the sub–themes “bridge, business, and beyond,” and will develop relationships between business leaders and heads of state.
What’s on the agenda
Heading into the 2025 APEC Leaders’ Meeting, here’s what you can expect:
- Presidents Trump and Xi will meet. The U.S. and China are the world's two largest economies, and the ongoing tensions between the two nations have significantly impacted the global economy. The two leaders are set to meet on 30 October, with President Trump expressing optimism about a possible trade deal. Still, regardless of the meeting's outcome, leaders at the summit will have to carefully navigate the tensions between the U.S. and China to foster successful collaboration.
- Supply chains need resilience. Supply chains are currently under threat from economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and the climate crisis. Tensions between the U.S. and China have exacerbated the toll on supply chains as both countries move to reduce their dependency on one another. Yet the ongoing supply chain disruptions also offer opportunities to build resilience. Countries can capitalize on geopolitical tensions and position themselves as new markets for materials and goods, thereby securing the global supply chain by creating more options. Similarly, investing in technology, specifically AI, can help develop more resilient supply chain strategies and allow for warning systems for potential disruptions.
- APEC positions itself as a regional hub for AI governance. APEC has held several conferences promoting sustainable and inclusive use of the rapidly evolving technology. Part of this governance includes encouraging global cooperation to develop AI standardization. As AI becomes further implemented in international trade, standardization will become essential to ensure it does not upend labor markets or economies.
What they’re saying
- From tariff hikes and retaliatory measures to the suspension of trade facilitation procedures and the proliferation of non–tariff barriers, we are witnessing an environment that is not conducive to trade. Director of the APEC Policy Support Unit Carlos Kuriyama.
- Across the region, countries are grappling with the challenge of sustaining growth amid a tumultuous global environment increasingly divided by rivalry between the world’s two largest markets. Connectivity, innovation, and prosperity now sit uneasily alongside trade disruptions, retaliatory tariffs, and fractured supply chains. Philip Luck and Richard Gray, commentary authors at CSIS.
- We are at a true inflection point, one that future generations may describe as before AI and after AI. South Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Dr. Koo Yun Cheol.
