 |
| South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung (L) shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping (R) during a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on January 5, 2026. PHOTO: AFP |
BEIJING – The leaders of South Korea and China on Monday agreed to work toward a gradual reopening of cultural and content exchanges during their second summit in Beijing, according to Seoul’s presidential office.
President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a roughly 90-minute summit at the Great Hall of the People, running 30 minutes longer than scheduled, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a statement.
Kang said Lee and Xi “held in-depth discussions on a range of pending issues in Korea-China relations during the summit.”
“At the summit, the two sides agreed to advance consultations on the details of expanding cultural and content exchanges gradually and step by step, starting in areas acceptable to both sides,” Kang said.
Whether China will lift an unofficial Hallyu ban on Korean content — imposed after South Korea’s 2016 deployment of the US THAAD missile defense system — has drawn renewed attention.
Lee and Xi also agreed to continue “constructive consultations” on the issue of structures built by China in the Provisional Measures Zone — a jointly managed area agreed upon by the two countries under the Korea-China Fisheries Agreement of 2000.
“The two leaders shared the view that, for the stable and long-term development of Korea-China relations, it is important to make the West Sea a ‘sea of peace and shared prosperity,’” Kang said.
On the issue of illegal fishing, Lee urged the Chinese side to improve order in West Sea, or Yellow Sea, fishing operations, including by strengthening guidance for fishers and tightening enforcement.
Seoul and Beijing will continue related communication going forward, Kang said.
“In addition, the two leaders reaffirmed that peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula are shared interests of both Korea and China, and confirmed China’s willingness to play a constructive role toward that end,” Kang added.
Seoul has underscored China’s constructive role in returning North Korea to the negotiating table, especially ahead of US President Donald Trump’s planned visit to China, which it views as an opportunity to revive long-stalled nuclear diplomacy.
Lee, Xi pledge steady ties
During the summit, Xi and Lee concurred on the need to steady ties despite growing uncertainties and volatile security landscape.
In his opening remarks, Xi stressed the importance of reinforcing Seoul-Beijing ties as “the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century and the international landscape is growing increasingly complex.”
“At this time, China and Korea bear significant responsibilities for safeguarding regional peace and promoting global development, with their interests intersecting across a broad range of fields,” Xi told Lee.
“China stands ready to work with Korea to firmly uphold the direction of friendly cooperation and, guided by the principle of mutual benefit and shared prosperity, place the China-South Korea strategic cooperative partnership on a sound trajectory.”
Xi added, however, that both sides “should stand firmly on the right side of history and make the correct strategic choices.”
Lee said, “This summit will serve as an important turning point in making 2026 the first year of a full restoration of Korea-China relations.”
“We will continue our unwavering efforts to develop our strategic cooperative partnership into an irreversible trend of the times.”
Lee said Seoul would deepen “horizontal, mutually beneficial” cooperation in areas that directly affect people’s daily lives, stepping up efforts to address bread-and-butter issues.
Lee added that Seoul and Beijing would work together to explore practical, achievable options for peace on the Korean Peninsula so that both sides can jointly contribute to peace — the bedrock of prosperity and growth.
“I hope today’s meeting will give us an opportunity to continue the conversations we were unable to complete in Gyeongju and serve as a decisive moment to further solidify the historic momentum toward a full restoration of Korea-China relations,” Lee told Xi.
The two leaders met at the Great Hall of the People during Lee’s four-day state visit to China, a follow-up to Xi’s state visit to South Korea for the 2025 APEC summit in North Gyeongsang Province.
Inside summit room
The delegation for the summit from each side included senior security, economic and technology officials, underscoring the summit’s twin focus on stabilizing diplomacy while rebuilding practical cooperation.
From the South Korean side, the delegation included Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, national security adviser Wi Sung-lac and Kim Yong-beom, presidential chief of staff for policy.
Also attending were Ha Jung-woo, senior presidential secretary for artificial intelligence policy and future planning, Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources Kim Jung-kwan and Foreign Minister Cho Hyun.
From the Chinese side, attendees included Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, Science and Technology Minister Yin Hejun and Zheng Shanjie, chair of the National Development and Reform Commission.
The delegation also included Li Lecheng, minister of industry and information technology, Han Shiming, director of the President’s Office, and Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong.
ANN/The Korea Herald
