(3rd LD) Lee calls for joint efforts with China to explore 'viable' measures for Korean Peninsula peace

▲ President Lee Jae Myung (L) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a signing ceremony of memorandums of understanding at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Jan. 5, 2026. (Yonhap)

▲ President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping hold summit talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Jan. 5, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

▲ President Lee Jae Myung (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend an opening ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Jan. 5, 2026, ahead of their summit. (Yonhap)

(3rd LD) Lee-China-summit

(3rd LD) Lee calls for joint efforts with China to explore 'viable' measures for Korean Peninsula peace

(ATTN: UPDATES with Xi's remarks in paras 11-15)

By Kim Eun-jung

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung vowed Monday to work together with China to explore "viable" measures to foster peace on the Korean Peninsula during a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Lee underscored the importance of bilateral cooperation for peace at their meeting at the Great Hall of the People as North Korea ratcheted up tensions by launching ballistic missiles on Sunday morning just hours before his arrival in the Chinese capital for a state visit.

"(I) will work together (with China to) explore viable alternatives for peace on the Korean Peninsula so that both countries can jointly contribute to peace, the basic foundation for prosperity and growth," Lee said in his opening remarks.

Lee voiced his expectations for the summit with Xi, saying that it will be an important opportunity to make 2026 the first year for the "full restoration" of South Korea-China relations.

His visit came at a time when South Korea is seeking to stably manage 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 his "pragmatic" diplomatic approach.

Seoul-Beijing ties were strained under former President Yoon Suk Yeol's closer alignment with the U.S. amid intensifying rivalry between the world's two largest economies.

Lee noted that the two neighboring countries have maintained friendly ties for thousands of years and share a history of suffering the loss of sovereignty and fighting for independence, an apparent reference to Japan's colonial expansion in the early 20th century.

He also said his administration will continue to expand cooperation on an "equal footing" in areas that directly affect the daily lives of people in both countries and strengthen collaboration on livelihood issues.

"I will invariably make efforts to develop our strategic cooperative partnership into an irreversible trend of the times," he said, expressing his wish to work together with Xi to open a "new phase" for the development of bilateral relations.

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.

Xi shared consensus on further developing the bilateral relations through closer communication amid the changing geopolitical landscape.

"The two countries bear important responsibilities in safeguarding regional peace and promoting global development, and share broad common interests," Xi said through a translator.

Xi also said Seoul and Beijing "should firmly stand on the right side of history and make correct strategic choices, jointly oppose protectionism, practice genuine multilateralism, and contribute to advancing a balanced and orderly multipolar world and universal, inclusive economic globalization."

He said their second meeting in just two months demonstrates how much both sides value the relationship, suggesting that they should visit each other and communicate more often as "friends."

Following the summit, the two leaders attended a signing ceremony for 14 memorandums of understanding on cooperation in trade, technology, the environment and other areas, as well as a document pledging the return to China of a pair of Qing Dynasty stone lion statues purchased by the Kansong Art and Culture Foundation in 1933.

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.

With tensions high over Taiwan following China's large-scale military drills near the island last week, Lee was expected to face pressure to clarify Seoul's position over the issue, which Beijing considers a core national interest.

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)

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