South Korea's Lee Jae Myung to meet China's Xi in Beijing

Lee Jae Myung arrived in Beijing to meet Xi Jinping and other senior Chinese officials, and he will visit Shanghai; this is the first visit by a South Korean leader to China since 2019.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Beijing on Sunday for a visit and will meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other senior officials. He is scheduled to attend a banquet hosted by Xi and to meet Premier Li Qiang and the chairman of the National People’s Congress, Zhao Leji. The trip comes as China and Japan are engaged in a diplomatic row over Taiwan, a situation that places Seoul in a delicate position. Relations between Seoul and Beijing had cooled in recent years, and this is the first visit by a South Korean leader to China since 2019. Key points: - Lee will attend a banquet hosted by Xi Jinping and meet China's Premier Li Qiang and parliamentary chairman Zhao Leji before flying to Shanghai. - Lee told Korean residents in Beijing the visit would "serve as a new starting point to fill in the gaps in Korea-China relations, restore them to normal and upgrade them to a new level." - This is the first visit by a South Korean leader to China since 2019, after ties soured under the previous president, Yoon Suk Yeol. - The visit takes place amid a diplomatic row between China and Japan over China's claims on self-governed Taiwan, which intensified after Japan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, suggested Tokyo could respond to a Chinese attack on Taiwan. - South Korea's national security director Wi Sung-lac told reporters that the country "respects the One China policy." Summary: The visit is presented by leaders as an effort to restore and upgrade Korea-China relations during a period of regional tension. Lee will meet Xi and other senior Chinese officials, attend a banquet, and then travel to Shanghai; he is also reportedly planning a visit to Japan later this month. The detailed diplomatic outcomes are undetermined at this time.