South Korea and China signed seven agreements, including on cooperation in innovation, online crime prevention and elderly care, during their meeting.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to help restart stalled talks with nuclear-armed North Korea.
Lee welcomed Xi following Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), emphasizing the importance of renewed dialogue on the Korean Peninsula.
“I am very positive about the situation where the conditions for engagement with North Korea are forming,” Lee noted, highlighting recent high-level exchanges between Beijing and Pyongyang.
Lee called on Xi, who visited South Korea after 11 years, for closer strategic communication with China to “take advantage of these favorable conditions” to resume peace talks.
Xi, in his remarks before the summit, described South Korea as an “inseparable cooperative partner,” emphasizing Beijing’s desire to “jointly address challenges” and “expand cooperation.”
Adding to the conversation about improving ties between South and North Korea, Chinese state media later confirmed that Xi was proposing mutual respect for each country’s systems and increased collaboration in initiatives on technology, green industries and an aging population.
The visit reflects the complex balance South Korea intends to maintain between its security alliance with the United States and its economic dependence on China.
During the meeting, the two countries agreed to “seven” agreements, including a won-yuan currency exchange and agreements on innovation, online crime prevention and elderly care sectors.
Previously, North Korea had refused to dialogue with Seoul by quickly rejecting its denuclearization plan. Furthermore, despite his close ties with China and Russia, North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un has maintained the position that “dialogue with the South is out of the question.”
