President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Thursday that the high-stakes meeting between United States President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will define the tone and direction of the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in South Korea — and possibly the future of global trade.

Marcos said the Trump-Xi dialogue will “influence everything” at APEC, given the two nations’ outsized impact on the global economy.

“The world is watching because this is the source of the largest shock that has entered into the world trade system,” Marcos said. “And we have to see what the agreements will be coming out of this meeting between President Xi and President Trump.”

He said any outcome from the Trump-Xi meeting would have far-reaching consequences on international markets and economic policy. 

“Those will certainly color everything that we will be talking about in this APEC because the agreements or the arrangements that are made between two of the largest economies of the world will certainly affect every single citizen of the world,” he added.

Marcos noted that this year’s APEC will be unlike any other because the parallel US-China talks could “reset” global trade relations.

“This APEC meeting is a much different meeting from all the others that we have attended because on the sidelines are the decisions being made on how trade is going to be conducted certainly, at least between the two largest economies in the world but with an effect, with a ripple effect for entire global economy,” he said.

Trump and Xi met earlier Thursday at a South Korean air base, where both leaders expressed optimism about resolving their long-running trade dispute.

“We are going to have a very successful meeting, I have no doubt. But he is a very tough negotiator,” Trump told reporters before the talks as he and Xi shook hands.

Xi, for his part, said negotiators from both sides had reached a “fundamental consensus on addressing each other’s primary concerns” and that he was “willing to continue working with President Trump to lay a solid foundation for China-US relations.”

The rare face-to-face encounter between the two leaders came amid hopes of easing trade tensions that have rattled markets for years. 

Following the meeting’s announcement, China’s yuan surged to its highest level against the US dollar in nearly a year, while stock markets worldwide — from Wall Street to Tokyo — rallied to record highs.

Trump has repeatedly expressed confidence on reaching a deal with Xi during their APEC sideline meeting, citing recent progress between their negotiators in Kuala Lumpur. 

“We’re closer than ever before,” he reportedly told aides, according to US media.

Marcos said the Philippines, as part of the APEC region that accounts for nearly half of global trade and 61 percent of world GDP, cannot ignore the implications of the Trump-Xi talks.

“The growth and stability of this region are directly tied to the opportunities and welfare of all Filipinos,” Marcos said. “Given these high stakes, this gathering is imperative.”

He said he would use the APEC Summit to represent the Philippines’ commitment to cooperation and innovation-driven development — but acknowledged that the world’s economic focus will remain on what happens between Washington and Beijing.

“That is what we are looking out for, that is what we need to understand, and that is why the world is watching and waiting as we are,” he said.

Trump’s and Xi’s discussions, Marcos added, would not only define the APEC agenda but also reshape how economies respond to the shifting balance of global power.

“The agreements between two of the largest economies in the world will certainly affect every single citizen,” he reiterated.