APEC Summit Exposes Growing Divide Between Free Trade and Protectionism Amid Global Economic Uncertainty

The recently concluded Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, laid bare a profound ideological conflict playing out on the global stage: the battle between free trade advocates and protectionist forces. In an era when multilateral institutions face increasing strain, this division presents a clear threat not only to regional stability but also to America’s economic interests at home. Is Multilateralism Losing Ground to Economic Nationalism? With some of the world’s largest economies represented—Australia, China, Japan, Canada, Chile, and more—the forum should have been an arena for unity. Yet instead, discord dominated. China’s President Xi Jinping emerged as...