President Lee and President Xi hold 90-minute meeting…Discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation [Comprehensive]

President Lee Jae-myung, on a state visit to China, held a summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on the afternoon of the 5th.

This was the second time President Lee has sat down with President Xi in person, following a meeting held two months earlier on November 1 last year on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju.

The meeting, which began at 4:47 p.m., ended at 6:17 p.m. after 90 minutes.

On the South Korean side, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-chul, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeong-gwan, and Ambassador to China Noh Jae-heon attended, while on the Chinese side Foreign Minister Wang Yi, NDRC Director Zheng Shanjie, Minister of Science and Technology Yin Hejun, Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Recheng, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao, and Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing were present.

In the meeting, the two leaders emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation between South Korea and China.

In his remarks, President Lee said, "This Korea-China summit will be an important opportunity to make 2026 the inaugural year for the full restoration of Korea-China relations," and added, "I now want to open a new phase in the development of Korea-China relations together with President Xi, in step with the currents and changes of the times."

President Xi also emphasized, "China must firmly uphold the direction of friendly cooperation with South Korea," adding, "The partnership of cooperation between the two countries should be developed along a healthy trajectory."

They also exchanged views on security issues, including peace on the Korean Peninsula.

President Lee said, "For peace on the Korean Peninsula, (South Korea and China) will seek feasible alternatives together," and "The two countries should work so that they can jointly contribute to peace, the fundamental foundation of prosperity and growth," and President Xi responded, "The two countries must also provide positive energy for the development of regional and global peace."

President Xi also said, "(The two countries) should rightly stand on the correct side of history and make precise and proper strategic choices."

After the summit, with the two leaders in attendance, a signing ceremony was held for 15 cooperation documents, including memoranda of understanding (MOUs) outlining measures to strengthen exchanges between the two countries.

Lee Bo-bae, guest reporter, Hankyung.com newsinfo@hankyung.com