Chinese President Xi Jinping focused on economic cooperation and multilateralism during his first state visit to South Korea in 11 years, while his host, President Lee Jae Myung, prioritized the urgent need to resume dialogue with North Korea.
President Lee sought Xi’s help in his efforts, proposing a phased approach to denuclearisation that would start with a freeze on the North’s weapons development. Lee pointed to recent high-level talks between Beijing and Pyongyang as a “favourable condition” for diplomacy.
President Xi called South Korea an “inseparable cooperative partner” and proposed opening a “new chapter” in relations. According to Chinese state media, Xi called for respecting each other’s systems, handling differences, and increasing cooperation in AI, biopharmaceuticals, and green industries.
Conspicuously, Chinese media reports on the summit made no mention of the North Korea discussions. A South Korean official later said China expressed a general willingness to cooperate for peace, and both sides agreed that US-North Korea dialogue was “most important.”
The summit concluded with the signing of seven agreements, including a won-yuan currency swap. However, the visit also saw hundreds of anti-China protesters in Seoul, and Lee raised ongoing issues with Xi, including Chinese sanctions on a South Korean shipbuilder and military activity in Korea’s Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ).