Lee had hosted Xi for talks on the sidelines of the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Gyeongju.On Sunday, it was Lee’s turn to make a trip to Beijing, starting a four-day visit – the first to China by a South Korean president since 2019.
South Korea finds itself in a complex position: It needs firm relations with China, a key economic partner, but Beijing’s ties with Seoul’s two strongest allies, the United States and Japan, have deteriorated in recent years. China and South Korea have their own differences too, over Taiwan, trade tensions, and maritime claims.
