Xi and South Korean President lee Hold Talks, Pledging Strengthened Ties Amid regional Tensions
BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping and South korean President Yoon Suk yeol met in Beijing on Saturday, marking Yoon’s first visit to China in 11 years and signaling a renewed commitment to strengthening bilateral relations. The meeting occurred as north Korea dismissed the prospect of denuclearization as a “pipe dream.”
during the visit, South Korean President Lee welcomed frequent high-level exchanges between China and North Korea, expressing hope to increase strategic dialog with Beijing to foster conditions for dialogue with Pyongyang.
The discussions took place shortly after a military parade in Beijing where Xi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to strengthen their countries’ relationship.
Seoul is navigating a complex geopolitical landscape, balancing its relationships with both the United States and china. Lee reaffirmed South Korea’s “deep ties” with washington, its key defence ally and major trading partner. Recent developments include a important investment deal with the US and approval for South Korea to build nuclear-powered submarines in american shipyards – a move warned by Kim Dong-yup, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, could be viewed by China as joining a US-led containment strategy.
Economically, South Korea’s trade balance has shifted.While the country now enjoys a growing trade surplus with the US, its trade surplus with China has become a deficit as Chinese firms gain competitiveness. Korean car sales in China have significantly declined following Beijing’s response to Seoul’s deployment of the US THAAD missile defense system nearly a decade ago, a trend exacerbated by the rise of domestic Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Both leaders expressed a desire to expand dialogue and cooperation, particularly in trade, exchanges, and regional peace.
