South Korean President Lee Jae Myung hosted Xi Jinping for their first meeting on Saturday as the Chinese head of state took centre stage and reforged old ties at an Asian summit from which US leader Donald Trump was largely absent.

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 centre stage at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, w

See Full Page