Trump Arrives in South Korea as APEC Summit Gets Underway

TaiwanPlus News

US President Donald Trump has arrived in South Korea, where he received the country's highest honor and gave a speech to global business leaders for the APEC summit. His visit also sparked protests and counter-demonstrations. Later this week, Trump is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Transcript

00:00Rolling out the red carpet, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung awards U.S. President

00:07Donald Trump his country's highest honor for Trump's role as, quote, peacemaker,

00:12the first U.S. president to ever receive it. Later, the two discussed U.S.-Korean relations,

00:18talking trade, investment, and security cooperation. South Korea has been seeking

00:23a lower tariff rate after Trump slapped 25% tariffs on them, but negotiations have stalled.

00:30This is just one of several major meetings Trump is expected to attend during a short

00:35trip to the small city of Gyeongju, where this year's APEC summit is being held. Highly anticipated

00:41is a planned talk on the sidelines with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders are likely

00:47to discuss trade and tariffs as tensions between their countries soar, and Trump has also suggested

00:53the two could discuss Taiwan. Addressing an APEC gathering Wednesday afternoon, the U.S.

00:59president seemed positive the meeting would be productive.

01:02I think we're going to have a deal. I think it'll be a good deal for both. And that's really

01:07a great result. You know, that's better than fighting and going through all sorts of problems

01:13and, you know, no reason for it. I think it's going to be a great deal for both, so I'll

01:17be meeting him tomorrow. A lot of people are interested. They're also interested in what

01:21we're doing, but they're interested in that. I can tell you a lot. The world is watching,

01:25and I think we'll have something that's very exciting for everybody. And that's also good

01:30for South Korea. That's good for, it's good for all nations.

01:34But elsewhere in Gyeongju, Trump's arrival brought dozens out on the streets.

01:39Protests have been happening all day here in Gyeongju, some against Trump and some in support

01:45of the U.S., like the one that's happening behind me. You can see people waving huge American

01:49flags in the background. And one day ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's arrival here

01:54in Gyeongju, some here are also wearing pins that say, keep the Chinese Communist Party out.

02:02This protester said many people here value South Korea's partnership with the U.S.

02:07and hope for more collaboration. They're also worried about increasing Chinese influence

02:12in the country. We don't like lying and deceiving people. And CCP, Chinese Communist Party,

02:20is doing that in our country. And everyone knows that. Just say, but our current president

02:26and the government is trying to cover our eyes, but it doesn't work. Strong connection with United

02:32States keeps the peace in peninsula, Korean peninsula over 70 years. We never forget. We are very

02:39grateful for that. We keep that. That is in our heart. And still, we need that strong connection

02:47because our current president, he wants to open the gate for China. But not everyone is happy to see

02:54Trump. Much of this group traveled down to Gyeongju from the capital of Seoul, angry about the steep

03:04tariffs Trump has slapped on South Korea.

03:27Capping off his first day in South Korea, Trump is scheduled to attend a dinner hosted by President

03:32Lee. Six other major economies will also be represented there, including Australia, Singapore

03:39and Canada, to discuss economic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Though he'll only spend two

03:44days in Gyeongju, Trump's presence here is having a major impact, and his talks with other leaders

03:50could affect economies across the world. Justin Wu and Keynes-Karanta in Gyeongju, South Korea,

03:56for Taiwan Plus.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended