Lee calls for ‘strategic cooperation’ with China to resume dialogue with North in first summit
Published: 01 Nov. 2025, 18:37
Updated: 11 Nov. 2025, 18:07
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- SARAH KIM
- [email protected]
![Korean President Lee Jae Myung, right, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping as they begin their bilateral summit at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Nov. 1. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/11/6edcdcbf-e78b-48ac-9cb3-64d0eb914ea1.jpg)
Korean President Lee Jae Myung, right, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping as they begin their bilateral summit at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Nov. 1. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
"The importance of regional peace and stability can't be overemphasized enough as South Korea and China develop a mutually beneficial cooperative relationship that keeps pace with the times," Lee said in his opening remarks. "I highly appreciate the recent active high-level exchanges between China and North Korea, which are creating conditions for engagement with the North."
Lee then expressed hopes that South Korea and China "will leverage these favorable conditions to strengthen strategic communication and resume dialogue with North Korea."
The two leaders met on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit at the Gyeongju National Museum, the same venue where Lee held his bilateral summit with President Donald Trump on Wednesday. Xi's trip marks his first bilateral visit to South Korea in 11 years.
After wrapping up the second day of the APEC summit, Lee formally received Xi in an official welcome ceremony and the two observed an honor guard with a Korean military band outside the museum. The two leaders entered the museum together, and Xi signed the guestbook.
The two sides also signed seven memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on the occasion of the summit, including a renewal of a currency swap agreement.
Other MOUs included an innovation and startup partnership program, a 2026-2030 joint economic cooperation plan, strengthening cooperation in service trade exchanges and combating voice phishing and online fraud.
They then entered closed-door summit talks.
The summit was an occasion for the two leaders to comprehensively discuss ways to mature the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership in ways that tangibly benefit the livelihoods of the peoples of both countries, Seoul's presidential office said in a statement.
Xi told Lee in his opening remarks that "China and South Korea are important neighbors, inseparable partners in cooperation."
He noted that since establishing diplomatic relations 33 years ago, the two countries have actively pursued exchanges in various fields, transcending social systems and ideological differences and contributing to each other's success and shared prosperity.
![President Lee Jae Myung, right, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a ceremony handing over the APEC chairmanship at the Gyeongju Hwabaek Convention Center in North Gyeongsang on Nov. 1. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/11/bf420555-15b4-42e6-bd25-abb774ee0216.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung, right, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a ceremony handing over the APEC chairmanship at the Gyeongju Hwabaek Convention Center in North Gyeongsang on Nov. 1. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
He said Beijing values bilateral relations with Seoul and continuity and stability in its policy toward South Korea.
Xi said he plans to strengthen communication and deepen cooperation with South Korea, expand common interests and jointly address challenges, which will "promote the stable and long-term development of the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership, bringing more positive momentum to regional peace and development."
Lee noted that Xi last visited South Korea in July 2014 and thanked him for visiting as a state guest, noting that Xi also visited Gyeongju in 2009.
Pointing to China's rise to become the world's second-largest economy, Lee said, "As the economic cooperation structure between Korea and China is shifting from a vertical structure to a horizontal one, the mutually beneficial cooperative relationship between our two countries must also evolve in line with the times,"
He also said that their shared experiences of rising from the heads of local communities to national leaders while working closely with the people at the local level will serve as a sound foundation for creating tangible results in bilateral relations that both peoples can appreciate.
"APEC has historically played a role in promoting Korea-China relations, and your state visit during the Gyeongju APEC summit makes it even more meaningful," Lee said.
He expressed hopes that the president's state visit will serve as a platform for cooperation to further develop a bilateral strategic cooperative partnership.
The two leaders' discussions focused on expanding substantive cooperation to address the livelihood issues facing both countries' peoples, as well as measures to make substantial progress toward denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula, which form the foundation for this cooperation, the presidential office said.
![President Lee Jae Myung, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping take part in an official welcoming ceremony ahead of their bilateral summit at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Nov. 1. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/11/47c6872f-93a2-41cb-9fee-954a4e0494d6.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping take part in an official welcoming ceremony ahead of their bilateral summit at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Nov. 1. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
On Friday, Lee met Xi in person for the first time as Korea hosted the two-day APEC summit in Gyeongju. China is the host of next year's APEC summit.
Lee and Xi had several opportunities to bond during the APEC summit session and over the course of the APEC gala dinner, where Xi was seated next to Lee for most of the night, and the two were spotted chatting and laughing together as they watched K-pop and other cultural performances.
Ties between the two countries had grown strained after Beijing implemented measures targeting Korean businesses, its entertainment industry and tourism in protest of Seoul's decision to deploy a U.S.-led Terminal High Altitude Area Defense antimissile system to South Korea in 2016 and the installation of the battery the following year.
There has been interest in whether Lee and Xi will address this informal ban on K-pop, as China has not officially acknowledged it, along with a slew of other issues.
China's recent curbs on rare earth exports, impacting global supply chains, have been concerning for the Korean EV industry.
Beijing also recently announced sanctions on five U.S subsidiaries of South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean, citing security risks, which could also put a damper on Seoul's shipbuilding cooperation initiative with Washington.
Seoul has also been concerned over China's construction of steel maritime structures in the two countries' overlapping Provisional Measures Zone in the Yellow Sea.
However, as this marks the two leaders' first meeting, they are expected to have more time to discuss various concerns in follow-up talks after focusing on forming an initial bond in Gyeongju.
On Saturday, Lee presented Xi with a baduk (Go) board made from premium zelkova wood and a mother-of-pearl lacquer tray.
"The Go board was prepared in consideration of both leaders' shared interest in the game, and the fact that Korea gifted Go stones during Xi's visit 11 years ago," the presidential office said in a statement. "The board, made from the finest zelkova wood, symbolizes the hope that the Korea-China relationship will beautifully unfold on it."
The mother-of-pearl lacquer tray was crafted using a traditional Korean technique, "expressing the hope that the longstanding friendship between Korea and China will continue and develop further," the office said.
Upon his arrival, Lee also sent Xi a welcome gift: a bundle of Hwangnam-ppang, a local pastry filled with sweet red bean paste. The gift was accompanied by a message saying, "I hope you enjoy the taste of Gyeongju."
BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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