President Lee Jae-myung met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 5th and said, "I hope this summit will become a decisive opportunity for the historical tide of a full restoration of Korea-China relations to become even more solid," adding, "I also believe that efforts to develop the two countries' strategic cooperative partnership into an irreversible trend of the times will continue unchanged." Xi said, "We must stand firmly on the right side of history and make the right strategic choices."
On the second day of his state visit to China, Lee held a summit with Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in the afternoon. For both Lee and Xi, it was their first summit diplomacy of 2026. The two leaders met again about two months after holding a summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Gyeongju in late November last year.
Lee said, "Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, Korea and China have developed an inseparable, mutually beneficial cooperative relationship," adding, "Now, in step with the flow and changes of the times, I would like to open a new phase in the development of Korea-China relations together with you, Mr. President." Emphasizing joint responses to livelihood issues, Lee said, "To achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula, we should seek feasible alternatives together, and the two countries should jointly contribute to peace, the foundation of prosperity and growth."
Xi said, "The two countries bear a heavy responsibility to safeguard peace in the region and promote global development, and we have a broad intersection of interests," adding, "We must stand firmly on the right side of history and make the right strategic choices." He also said, "China seeks to firmly set the direction of friendly cooperation with Korea and to put the 'strategic cooperative partnership' on a sound track based on the spirit of mutual benefit and win-win," adding, "We want to enhance the benefits for the peoples of both countries and inject positive energy into peace and development in the region and the world."
This summit coincides with the time when the United States ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The heightened U.S.-China and China-Japan tensions over the cross-strait (China and Taiwan) issue are also noteworthy. In his opening remarks, Xi in fact said, "The world is undergoing rapid changes not seen in 100 years, and the international situation is becoming more entangled and complex." Although he did not mention specific issues, this part can be read as pressure on Korea to respect China's position on such sensitive matters.
Xi said, "Friends grow closer the more they meet, and neighbors become friendlier the more they visit. As friends and neighbors, China and Korea should visit often, interact often and communicate," adding, "In a short two months, we met and made reciprocal visits twice, which showed that we attach great importance to China-Korea relations."