Why Trump will face a stronger Xi Jinping at November Apec forum in China - South China Morning Post

Alyssa ChenPublished: 11:00pm, 26 Sep 2026When Donald Trump arrives in Shenzhen for the November Apec summit, he will face a Chinese leader even more confident than the one who left Washington this week after a state visit heavy on pageantry but light on concrete deliverables.Experts attributed this confidence to three key factors – a newly upgraded bilateral framework seeking a “constructive relationship of strategic stability based on respect, fairness and reciprocity”, the warmer tone during Xi’s three-day visit, and – crucially – the significant leverage of host diplomacy.

In southern China’s Shenzhen – home to technological giants Huawei, BYD and Tencent – President Xi Jinping will have greater control over the agenda and showcase Beijing’s growing diplomatic clout in ways impossible during a bilateral summit.

“As the Apec host, China will clearly possess far more autonomy in agenda-setting, topic selection, and preparatory work than it did during the Washington summit, where the US controlled the choreography while China held only participation and discussion rights,” said Chen Qi, director of the Centre for US-China Relations at Tsinghua University.