The 2025 APEC Summit was meant to be a diplomatic stage for China to restore its global image. Instead, it turned into an unexpected series of public embarrassments for Xi Jinping. From Donald Trump’s humorous anecdotes to viral video clips, six incidents combined to reveal a portrait of an increasingly isolated and tightly controlled political leader under the global spotlight.
1. Trump’s ‘statue meeting’ anecdote
During a Republican dinner on Nov. 5, U.S. President Donald Trump recounted a private meeting with Xi in Busan, describing what he called a “bizarre” scene.
“Xi was sitting there, and six officials on each side of him were sitting so straight they looked like statues,” Trump told the audience. “I tried to say something to one of them—but he didn’t move, not even blink.”
When Trump jokingly asked if the man planned to respond, Xi reportedly replied coldly, “All questions will be answered by me.”
The room erupted in laughter as Trump quipped, “I’ve never seen anything like that. Maybe I should get my Cabinet to learn that kind of discipline.” His remark about Vice President JD Vance—“He never sits that still”—only added to the humor.
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Observers later commented that Trump’s story humorously captured “the fear and rigidity of authoritarian power.”
2. The guard’s ‘secretive gesture”
South Korean broadcasters filmed another curious moment as Xi took his seat. A personal aide hurried over, glancing nervously around before discreetly placing three items on the table: a cup, a small stack of note cards, and a glasses case.
The aide’s movements were so cautious that journalists described the scene as “furtive, almost like a covert exchange.”
Analysts noted that Xi never consumes any drink not personally vetted by his security detail, and all items—including paper and medicine—must come directly from his team. The moment, they said, symbolized the paranoia and isolation often found at the top of authoritarian systems.
3. The awkward gift exchange
Xi’s gift to South Korean President Lee Jae-myung—a Xiaomi smartphone—was intended as a gesture of goodwill. Instead, it led to an awkward silence when Lee asked, “Is it secure?”
Xi forced a smile and replied, “You can check if it has a backdoor.”
Korean commentators called the moment “a masterpiece of diplomatic irony.” The exchange, they said, reflected global distrust of Chinese surveillance technology—a reminder that Beijing’s push for “tech confidence” often backfires on the world stage.
4. A bitter sip at the APEC banquet
At the official dinner, leaders toasted with Korea’s traditional makgeolli rice wine. Cameras caught Xi taking a small sip, frowning, and blinking repeatedly. Within hours, the clip flooded social media with captions like “The drink that made Xi Jinping wince.”
While seemingly trivial, commentators noted that Xi’s rigid expression amid a room full of smiling leaders reflected the broader stiffness of China’s diplomacy—an image of detachment rather than warmth.
5. The ‘big-character notebook’ moment
During the Trump–Xi bilateral meeting, Xi was seen reading word-for-word from a large notebook throughout the session, rarely making eye contact. Zoomed footage revealed oversized text and even pinyin markings.
Social media users mocked it as “a Chinese pronunciation test in progress,” while others noted that Trump appeared to glance at the notebook with a smirk, “as if watching a student read aloud.”
Chinese state media ignored the footage, stating only that the meeting was “pragmatic and constructive.” Foreign analysts, however, said the moment symbolized Xi’s reliance on scripted control, where deviation from prepared text could lead to embarrassment—or worse.
6. Trump’s note and Xi’s rare laughter
At the end of the summit, cameras captured Trump holding up a handwritten note that made Xi laugh out loud—a rare public display of genuine emotion. Even senior aides Cai Qi and Wang Yi joined in brief laughter.
No one knows what was written on the paper, but for a brief moment, the tense atmosphere eased. Commentators described it as “the summit’s only human moment”—a fleeting reminder that behind the rigid formality, even authoritarian leaders crave relief from their own control.
Echoes of fear: A regime trapped by its own power
The APEC Summit has ended, but Xi Jinping’s six awkward moments remain like six mirrors—each reflecting the solitude, fear, and loss of control of an authoritarian ruler on the international stage.
A regime that has instilled fear in more than a billion people spares no one — not even its own ruler, nor the enforcers who serve him. In the end, those who built the machinery of fear become its prisoners as well.
