The US leader met with the South Korean president today on the eve of the APEC summit, signing an agreement on autos, steel, and investments. Yesterday, an agreement was reached with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, criticised by the Asahi Shimbun for being too soft. Tomorrow, the long-awaited meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping takes place in Busan. The Chinese leader will also have a bilateral meeting with the Japanese prime minister.

Speaking at the regional summit, Chinese Premier Li Qiang called on Asian countries to “close ranks” in the face of global challenges, primarily that of trade with the United States. Southeast Asia must maintain open markets while avoiding becoming embroiled in a trade duel between superpowers. The summit saw the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement upgraded. The Philippines will take over the association’s rotating presidency next year.

For decades, China has poured resources into the real estate sector, generating a colossal bubble. Now it is investing in high-tech, generating excess production capacity that does not really boost the economy. Millions of rural workers displaced by construction are unable to find work in innovative sectors that create little employment. The alternative would be to invest in the 900 million Chinese who live on ten dollars a day.

Sebastien Lai spoke to AsiaNews about his father’s ordeal. The 78-year-old Catholic businessman, who fought for democracy in Hong Kong, has been in prison since 2020. Given his poor health as a diabetic, “the fear for his life is very real.” Too many diabetics “have died in that situation in Hong Kong prisons.” The former media owner “is in solitary confinement,” denied the right to attend Mass. US President Donald Trump said that he would speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping about his case and get him released. His mother’s meeting with Pope Leo XIV gave her strength.

Chinese musician and influencer Wang Bo has turned a Taipei politician's quip into a track that has become popular on both sides of the Taiwan Strait in recent weeks. Mainland China has tried to coopt it as a tool against the rebel island's government, but the real message is self-deprecation in the face of widespread dissatisfaction, even in the self-proclaimed “second world power”.

The long-awaited Fourth Plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China ended today in Beijing chaired by Xi Jinping, offering little direction if the final communiqué is to be believed. The emphasis on the “extraordinary” results of the 2020-2025 five-year period was countered by current economic difficulties. In the end, the spotlight was on the new wave of firings from top military command posts.