China and South Korea pledge to bolster ties as regional tensions rise
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Monday that he wants to open a “new phase” for relations with China, after meeting with President Xi Jinping during Lee’s first trip to Beijing since taking office in June.
“This summit will be an important opportunity to make 2026 the first year of full-scale restoration of Korea-China relations,” Lee said. “I believe that efforts to develop the strategic cooperation and partnership between the two countries into an irreversible trend of the times will continue.”
“More than 80 years ago, China and South Korea made tremendous national sacrifices and won the victory against Japanese militarism,” Xi told Lee, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency.
The two countries should “safeguard peace and stability in Northeast Asia,” Xi said, adding that the two countries should make “correct strategic choices” amid an “increasingly chaotic and complicated international situation”.
Meanwhile, the two sides signed 15 agreements at the summit, according to South Korean and Chinese broadcasters, including documents on technology, intellectual property and transportation cooperation.
Moreover, Chinese and South Korean companies signed nine cooperation agreements, South Korea’s Trade Ministry said, naming Alibaba International, Lenovo 0992.HK and South Korean retailer Shinsegae 004170.KS among companies that signed deals.
The two countries are expected to discuss matters such as supply-chain investment, the digital economy and cultural exchanges during Lee’s visit, China’s state broadcaster CCTV said.
