Marcos, Xi shake hands at APEC Summit

GYEONGJU, South Korea - President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Chinese President Xi Jinping were seen shaking hands at the turnover ceremony of the APEC Summit chairmanship.

South Korea has turned over the hosting of APEC Summit to China for next year. 

Marcos said he congratulated his Chinese counterpart as it assumes chairmanship of the APEC.

''I congratulated President Xi Jinping as China assumes the APEC Chairmanship in 2026, and reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to partnership and meaningful cooperation in our region,'' Marcos said.

The Presidential Communications Office has not given any information yet if Marcos and Xi had bilateral talks amid the Summit.

Earlier this week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that there was no scheduled meeting with Marcos and the Chinese leader. 

DFA spokesperson Angelica Escalona, however, said there were two bilateral meetings being ironed out but she did not disclose further details.

''We are looking at possibly two bilateral meetings but these are still being finalized,'' she said.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, Chile's President Gabriel Boric, China's President Xi Jinping, South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung, Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto, Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee, Papua New Guinea's Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister for International Affairs Alexei Overchuk, Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Vietnam's President Luong Cuong, United States' Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Peru's Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism Teresa Mera, Mexico's Minister of Economy Marcelo Ebrard, and Taiwan's Senior Advisor Lin Hsin-i pose for a group photo during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, November 1, 2025. Yonhap via REUTERS

The Summit came to a close with world leaders posing for a group photo as they wore scarves inspired by traditional Korean clothing.

The leaders donned mint-colored scarves made with traditional hanbok fabric, following the APEC tradition of wearing a local traditional outfit that was prepared by the host country.

South Korean President Lee Jae  Myung stood at the center of the stage, with China's Xi on his right and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on his left. 

Meanwhile, Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stood to Subianto's left.

—VAL, GMA Integrated News