Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping has invited South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to a state visit in Beijing, underlining China’s push to reinforce relations with Seoul with rising regional tensions in East Asia.
South Korea’s National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said President Lee will meet Xi in Beijing before travelling to Shanghai, where he will visit the historic site of South Korea’s provisional government established during Japan’s 35-year colonial rule.
According to Wi, the two leaders are expected to discuss practical cooperation in areas such as supply-chain investment, tourism and responses to transnational crime. Lee is also likely to urge Beijing to play a constructive role in achieving a breakthrough on issues related to the Korean Peninsula.
The visit will mark the second meeting between Xi and Lee in just two months, an unusually short interval that analysts say reflects Beijing’s growing interest in strengthening ties with South Korea ahead of an expected summit between Seoul and Tokyo.
Relations between China and Japan remain strained following remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in November suggesting that a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Japan. Against this backdrop, Wi reaffirmed Seoul’s stance on Taiwan, stating that South Korea respects the one-China policy while maintaining separate relations with the self-governing island.
Kang Jun-young, a professor of political economics at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, said China appears to be placing greater strategic importance on South Korea. Kang Jun-young added that Beijing likely prefers Lee’s visit to take place before Seoul resumes high-level engagement with Japan.
The Lee administration has repeatedly stressed its intention to restore ties with China, South Korea’s largest trading partner, while maintaining strong relations with the United States and Japan. This marks a shift from the approach of former president Yoon Suk Yeol, under whom Seoul moved closer to Washington and Tokyo and adopted a more critical stance towards Beijing.
Lee has said he will avoid taking sides in disputes between China and Japan, even as tensions escalate in the Taiwan Strait following China’s recent large-scale military drills near Taiwan. Security issues are also expected to feature in the talks, including the future of the South Korea–US alliance.
About 28,500 US troops are currently stationed in South Korea, with Washington signalling plans to make those forces more flexible in addressing broader regional challenges, including China’s growing military influence.
As China remains North Korea’s key ally and economic supporter, experts believe Lee will seek Beijing’s help in reviving dialogue with Pyongyang. North Korea, however, previously dismissed Lee’s outreach while continuing closer coordination with China.
The visit will also focus on trade, technology and cultural cooperation. Nearly half of South Korea’s rare earth imports come from China, while Beijing accounts for around a third of Seoul’s semiconductor exports. Officials from both sides recently agreed to work towards stabilising rare earth supplies and expanding cooperation in green industries and advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence.
Another issue on the agenda could be China’s long-standing restrictions on K-pop content, imposed in 2017 after South Korea deployed the US THAAD missile defence system. Local media reported that a senior executive from SM Entertainment will join Lee’s business delegation, signalling hopes of easing cultural barriers.
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