 |
| ▲ President Lee Jae Myung (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) head to the venue for a state dinner in the southeastern city of Gyeongju on Nov. 1, 2025, in this file photo provided by Lee's office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
 |
| ▲ President Lee Jae Myung (2nd from L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) smile as they exchange gifts after their summit meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering on Nov. 1, 2025, in this file photo provided by Lee's office the following day. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) Lee-China-summit
(LEAD) Lee, China's Xi begin summit with economic ties, N. Korea in focus
(ATTN: UPDATES as talks begin; CHANGES photo, headline; TRIMS)
By Kim Eun-jung
BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung began summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, with the leaders expected to focus on discussing ways to promote denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and measures to expand economic ties and cultural exchanges.
The summit talks came about two months after Lee and Xi met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea. It also marked the first visit by a South Korean president there since 2019.
South Korea seeks to stably manage its relations with China, a key partner in trade, tourism and peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula, while also maintaining a strong alliance with the United States under the Lee administration's "pragmatic" diplomatic approach.
At the talks, Lee is expected to ask for China's support in improving strained ties with Pyongyang and making progress in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, which is high on his administration's foreign policy agenda.
He arrived in Beijing on Sunday for a four-day state visit to China, just hours after North Korea fired several ballistic missiles toward the East Sea in its first test of weapons this year. Pyongyang's state media said Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un observed successful test-flights of hypersonic missiles the previous day.
In a meeting with Korean residents on the first day of his visit, Lee described China as an "important partner" for efforts to achieve peace and reunification of the Korean Peninsula.
Cultural exchanges will be another key topic as Seoul hopes to widen access for Korean content in China, which has faced unofficial restrictions since South Korea deployed a U.S. missile defense system in 2017.
During a Korea-China business forum earlier in the day, Lee called for expanding cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence, beauty and cultural products between the two nations to further boost bilateral trade.
Sensitive issues are also likely to be raised, including China's construction of steel structures in the overlapping sea zone in the Yellow Sea, which Seoul sees as potentially laying the groundwork for territorial claims.
With tensions high over Taiwan following China's large-scale military drills near the island last week, Lee is expected to face pressure to clarify Seoul's position over the issue, which Beijing considers a core national interest.
The meeting comes amid Beijing's strained ties with Tokyo over Taiwan, while Lee is reportedly arranging a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the coming weeks.
In an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Friday, Lee reaffirmed that South Korea's stance on respecting the "One China" policy remains unchanged, as agreed when Seoul and Beijing established diplomatic ties in 1992.
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
