Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping found common ground over the butterfly emblem of this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit ahead of their discussions on crucial diplomatic and economic issues. During a press conference, Lee mentioned that Xi reminisced about a robot butterfly performance from the gala dinner after China assumed the APEC chairmanship.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Xi remarked on the beauty of a butterfly featured at the previous night’s event, leading to a light-hearted exchange between the two leaders. Lee questioned Xi about the possibility of having similarly enchanting butterflies at the next APEC summit in Shenzhen, to which Xi expressed hope that the butterfly from Gyeongju would make its way to Shenzhen.
Lee shared his desire for a quieter butterfly performance next year, noting the loud noise from the motors during the show. In response, Xi suggested the idea of creating a singing butterfly.
The gala dinner hosted by Lee on Friday
was attended by around 400 guests, including Xi, other visiting state leaders, their spouses, and global business leaders. The event concluded with a performance themed “Journey of Butterfly: Together, We Fly,” featuring a robot butterfly soaring above the audience.
Lee emphasized the butterfly’s symbolic representation of connectivity, underscoring the APEC summit’s role as a platform for building a better future through the member economies’ collective achievements. He expressed optimism for a more successful APEC summit in Shenzhen, which he hopes will pave the way for further progress in the Asia-Pacific region.