South Korean President Lee Jae-myung began a four-day state visit to China on Sunday, marking the first visit by a South Korean leader in six years and the first state visit in nine, as regional tensions simmer across East Asia, according to reports from multiple media outlets. It is Lee’s first official visit since taking office in June last year.
Monday will see Lee meet with President Xi Jinping for the second time in just over two months – an unusually short interval that analysts say reflects Beijing’s interest in reinforcing economic and diplomatic ties with Seoul as relations with Japan deteriorate.
In the lead up to his visit, Lee praised Xi as a “truly reliable neighbour” and reiterated his support for Beijing’s One China policy. He has also said that Seoul’s close ties with the US should not deter strengthening China and South Korea’s relations, which he acknowledged had faced difficulties. “This visit to China aims to minimise or eliminate these past misunderstandings or contradictions, to elevate and develop South Korea-China relations to a new stage,” he said.
The visit comes at a sensitive moment for China, following heightened tensions with Tokyo over Taiwan after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Japan could take military action if Beijing moved against the renegade province. It was also accompanied by a seaward missile launch by North Korea on Sunday, understood as a warning to deter its ally – China – from tightening ties with South Korea.
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Security issues are expected to feature prominently during Lee’s meeting with Xi today. South Korean national security adviser Wi Sung-lac said on Friday that Lee was expected to request Beijing to play a “constructive role” in resolving long-standing disputes on the Korean Peninsula.
Economic issues are also expected to be on the agenda. Lee is accompanied by a large business delegation of more than 200 executives, including senior figures from Samsung Electronics, SK Group and Hyundai Motor Group, and is scheduled to attend a Korea-China business forum along with a startup summit.
Officials have said discussions will cover supply chains, the digital economy and cultural ties. Regarding the latter, Wi said he hoped the visit would help ease China’s informal ban on South Korean pop culture, known as hallyu. South Korean movies, TV dramas, games, K-pop concerts and certain consumer goods have all been restricted in China since 2017, in retaliation for South Korea’s deployment of a US missile defence shield known as THAAD.
Lee is scheduled to travel to Shanghai on Tuesday, to visit the former site of Korea’s provisional government in exile, which was based in China from 1926 to 1932.
