Seoul [South Korea], January 6: South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung is meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping as he seeks to reset frayed ties with his country's biggest trading partner.
Regional security and Beijing's unofficial ban on Korean pop culture were also on the agenda for Monday's meeting, which is their second summit since November, when Xi visited South Korea.
Given what a vital economic partner China is, experts say Lee is looking for assurances that it would not weaponise that relationship in the face of political tensions in the region.
For weeks, China and Japan have been engaged in a diplomatic row over the former's claim on self-governed Taiwan, which puts Seoul, a key regional power, in an awkward spot.
Beijing ramped up the rhetoric against Japan after its prime minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in parliament that Tokyo could respond with its own self defence force in case of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
So visiting Beijing at this time is a significant move for Lee. Like Japan, South Korea too is an ally of the US, which supports Taiwan and supplies arms for its defence.
Xi is expected to hold a welcoming ceremony for Lee in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, state-run CCTV reports.
Lee, who arrived in Beijing on Sunday, will then meet China's Premier Li Qiang and the chairman of parliament, Zhao Leji, before flying to Shanghai.
Speaking before Korean residents in Beijing on Sunday, Lee said his visit would "serve as a new starting point to fill in the gaps in Korea-China relations, restore them to normal and upgrade them to a new level".
This is the first visit by a South Korean leader since 2019. The relationship soured under Lee's predecessor, impeached ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, who was very critical of China.
Lee has sought to engage North Korea diplomatically, but there has been little progress so far. He needs Chinese cooperation in pressuring the North's Kim Jong Un to give up his nuclear weapons. Beijing is the dictator's biggest supporter, economically and diplomatically, Russia aside.
Source: Qatar Tribune
