Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at Gimhae International Airport in Busan on Thursday, marking his first visit to South Korea in 11 years.

He met with US President Donald Trump for their first summit in six years and was due to meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday, also for their first summit.

Xi landed at 10:30 a.m., kicking off a three-day state visit that coincides with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which opens Friday in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province.

The summit with Trump, the first engagement on Xi's official schedule, began at approximately 11 a.m. at the Naraemaru reception hall inside Gimhae International Airport, where Trump, who traveled from Gyeongju, arrived at around 10:20 a.m.

The meeting lasted slightly over two hours, with Trump scheduled to depart for Washington right after the summit. It was their first encounter since June 2019, when they met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan — and their first since Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025.

The meeting between Xi and Trump focused on trade issues amid renewed tensions between their countries over tariffs and export controls.

Washington has been weighing additional tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and batteries, while Beijing has tightened restrictions on exports of rare earths — key elements for semiconductors and electric motors — and other critical industrial materials in response.

Xi’s visit to South Korea is his first since July 2014, when he met with then-President Park Geun-hye. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the signing of the South Korea-China Free Trade Agreement.

The visit comes at a sensitive moment for bilateral ties, which have yet to recover from the chill that followed South Korea’s deployment of the US THAAD missile defense system in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, in 2017. Beijing claimed the system’s radar could monitor China beyond North Korea, and subsequently imposed economic and cultural sanctions on South Korea.

Relations further deteriorated under the former Yoon Suk Yeol administration as Seoul strengthened its strategic alignment with Washington and Tokyo amid growing regional rivalry.

Xi’s trip also follows his joint appearance with Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a military parade marking China’s Victory Day in September. The image of the Xi-Putin-Kim trio has fueled talk of an emerging bloc, increasing pressure on Seoul’s diplomatic balancing act.