Three feet of ice do not melt all at once, and fruit falls on its own when ripe.
This was Chinese President Xi Jinping's answer to President Lee Jae-myung regarding the Korean Wave restrictions during the Korea-China summit. According to Cheong Wa Dae on the 6th, during the meeting the previous day, President Lee said it is important to resolve anti-China and anti-Korea sentiments among the two countries' people and proposed holding a "Korea-China baduk tournament" and a "soccer tournament." Xi responded that "there is no problem with baduk or soccer exchanges," but also mentioned "three feet of ice." It means opening up to popular culture and content such as K-pop is still difficult.
China has denied the very existence of the Korean Wave restrictions. Cheong Wa Dae said Beijing maintained its existing position at this summit as well. However, in the course of the two leaders' conversation, light joking remarks and laughter were exchanged to the effect of "there's no need to argue whether that exists or not." They agreed to conduct working-level consultations on dramas and movies, but there were no remarks specifically about K-pop, Cheong Wa Dae said.
Talk of "hatred" and "cultural exchanges" also came up at the dinner between President Lee and Shanghai Communist Party Secretary Chen Jining. On the third day of his state visit to China, President Lee met Chen for dinner at the Shanghai World Guest House in the evening. Chen, one of Xi's closest confidants, is a key figure mentioned as a potential next president. At the meeting, President Lee said, in effect, that after speaking several times about anti-China sentiment, there had been a tangible decrease, and Chen replied that he had heard such news.
Cheong Wa Dae Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said, "Cultural exchanges and these emotional issues are very important, but on the other hand, they do not help the spirit of practical governance, so both agreed that they must be resolved." In particular, regarding cultural and content exchanges, Chen said, in effect, "While making gradual progress at the working level, let's solve emotional issues and sentiment that does not help either side. How about improving things step by step?"
◇"Is the image quality solid?" Xiaomi selfie, proposed directly by Lee
Cheong Wa Dae said the "Xiaomi selfie," which drew attention during this visit to China, was "an idea President Lee came up with himself." Earlier, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju in Nov. last year, President Lee received a Xiaomi 15 Ultra mobile phone as a gift from Xi. At the time, when President Lee joked, "Is the communications security solid?" Xi replied, "Check whether there's a back door," which drew attention. Ahead of this visit, President Lee instructed his aides to activate the phone so he could actually use it.
On the 5th, President Lee posted a photo on X (formerly Twitter) showing him taking a selfie with Xi, first lady Kim Hea-kyung, and Peng Liyuan. Under the headline "Is the image quality solid?" he wrote, "A selfie with President Xi and his wife with the Xiaomi gifted in Gyeongju. Thanks to it, I got a once-in-a-lifetime shot." He also said, "The more we meet up close, the more Korea-China relations unravel," adding, "We will communicate more often and cooperate more."