Korean President Lee Jae Myung held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit, at the Gyeongju National Museum, on Nov. 1, 2025. Xi told Lee that he was willing to widen cooperation and jointly tackle challenges, while Lee sought Beijing’s help in efforts to resume talks with nuclear-armed neighbor North Korea. Xi Jinping has urged cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI) and the fight against online scams in his first sit-down talks with Lee Jae-myung. Xi said, China and South Korea were cooperation partners that “cannot be separated.” (PHOTO: Presidential Office)
Korean President Lee Jae Myung held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit, at the Gyeongju National Museum, on Nov. 1, 2025. President Lee Jae Myung warmly welcomed President Xi Jinping on his state visit to Korea after 11 years, and underscored the great significance of the visit to ROK-China relations.
President Xi told Lee that he was willing to widen cooperation and jointly tackle challenges, while Lee sought Beijing’s help in efforts to resume talks with nuclear-armed neighbor North Korea.
President Lee hosted Xi at a state summit and dinner after an APEC, Xi’s first visit to the U.S. ally in eleven years. Beijing attaches great importance to relations with Seoul and sees South Korea as an inseparable cooperative partner, Xi said ahead of the summit, Lee’s office said in a statement.
Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a 100-minute, in-person summit — their first since Lee took office — on the sidelines of the APEC gathering in Gyeongju.
Wi Sung-lac, national security adviser said, “They agreed to make efforts to ensure that the development of Korea-China relations contributes in a practical way to both livelihood issues and peace,” at a press briefing on the Lee-Xi summit. “President Lee introduced our government’s vision for denuclearization and the realization of peace, and asked China to play a constructive role in resuming dialogue with North Korea,” he said.
“In response, President Xi exp-ressed his intention to continue efforts to resolve issues on the Korean Peninsula and to maintain peace and stability there,” he continued. “Both sides agreed that dialogue between the United States and North Korea is the most important.”
President Lee has promised to strengthen ties with the United States while not antagonizing China and seeking to lower tension with the North.
“I am very positive about the situation in which conditions for engagement with North Korea are being formed,” Lee said, referring to recent high-level exchanges between China and North Korea. “I also hope that South Korea and China will take advantage of these favorable conditions to strengthen strategic communication to resume dialogue with North Korea.”
Lee has called for a phased approach to denuclearizing North Korea, starting with engagement and a freeze on further development of nuclear weapons.
Leaders of 21 Asia-Pacific Rim nations wrapped up the annual summit at the day with a statement underscoring regional economic cooperation, just days after the presidents of the United States and China agreed to dial down their trade war.
APEC summit issued a joint statement pledging greater cooper-ation to overcome shared challenges in a global economy hit hard by trade tensions between the U.S. and China, the world’s two largest economies.
The joint statement declared that the APEC leaders “acknowledge the global trading system continues to face significant challenge.” “We reaffirm our shared recognition that robust trade and investment are vital to the growth and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region,” it says.
Lee and Xi agreed to reboot a regular high-level dialogue to strengthen strategic coordination on regional and global issues, pledging to turn their thaw into tangible economic cooperation and work toward peace on the Korean Peninsula, Seoul’s presidential office said.
Xi Jinping has urged cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI) and the fight against online scams in his first sit-down talks with Lee Jae-myung.
In his opening remarks, Xi said China and South Korea were cooperation partners that “cannot be separated.”
He continued, “China will work with South Korea to accelerate the second-phase negotiations of the bilateral free-trade agreement and to explore the potential for cooperation in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, biopharmaceuticals, green industries and the silver economy.”
He also called for cooperation to combat online scams and telefraud at the bilateral and regional levels amid a surge in cases involving the kidnapping and torture of South Koreans in Cambodia.
“Beijing will work with Seoul to strengthen communication, deepen cooperation, expand common interests and jointly tackle challenges,” Xi added.
Following the summit, the two leaders signed memorandums of understanding, including on fighting phishing and online scams, as well as a currency swap agreement.
President Lee has positioned himself as a centrist aiming to redefine South Korea’s diplomacy. He has pledged to pursue a “pragmatic” foreign policy that prioritises South Korea’s crucial military alliance with the United States, which Seoul relies on for military security to deter North Korea, while carefully managing relations with China and Russia.
China has been South Korea’s biggest trading partner for two decades. In 2022, China accounted for the largest share of South Korea’s exports and imports, while South Korea became China’s second-biggest trading partner.
In a friendly gesture, Lee said that while ties between Seoul and Beijing had “not completely recovered yet,” pragmatic relations were necessary. “Although there may be small hindrances along the way, we will surely overcome these obstacles for better changes and bigger benefits for the governments of Korea and China,” President Lee said at a press conference after the conclusion of the Apec summit on Saturday and before his summit with Xi.
Lee also noted China’s “important role” in the stability of the Korean peninsula and said he looked forward to seeing Beijing play a bigger part. He added that Seoul would continue taking pre-emptive measures to ease military tension and build trust with North Korea to promote peace on the peninsula.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited Beijing during China’s Victory Day military parade in early September. It was Kim’s first visit to China in six years.
He was accompanied by North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, who also visited Beijing in late September.
Referring to the high-level exchanges between China and North Korea, Lee said he viewed these developments positively, hoping that Seoul and Beijing could strengthen communication to help resume dialogue with Pyongyang.
Xi said Beijing would “inject greater positive energy” into regional peace, but the Xinhua report did not specifically mention denuclearization on the Korean peninsula.
The meeting between Xi and Lee faced an early challenge after Washington approved Seoul’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines, a decision announced after the summit between Lee and Trump two days before.
This move was widely seen as a joint effort to strengthen Seoul’s naval capabilities – not just against threats from Pyongyang, but also as a counterbalance to Beijing. It also highlighted Seoul’s growing alignment with Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy to contain China.
In an interview with Time magazine marking his first 100 days in office, Lee acknowledged the complexities of navigating between the U.S. and China.
“We will stand alongside the U.S. in the emerging global order and in supply chains centred around the U.S., but it is crucial for us to manage our relationship with China carefully to avoid antagonising them,” he said.
Lee’s administration has sought to avoid entangling South Korea in contentious issues such as Taiwan. When asked in the Time interview whether South Korea would come to Taiwan’s aid in the event of an attack by Beijing, Lee sidestepped the question, saying he would answer when “aliens are about to invade the Earth”.
Beijing sees Taiwan as a part of China to be reunited by force, if necessary.
Most countries, including the United States, do not recognize Taiwan as independent, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the island by force and is committed to arming it for its defense.
Presidents Lee Jae-myung and Xi Jinping had a moment exchanging pre-prepared gifts after concluding their summit meeting on the first.
One of the gifts prepared by China for President Lee was two Xiaomi smartphones. China introduced that the smartphones’ “display is a Korean product.” While examining the smartphone, President Lee asked, “Is the communication security well-maintained?” Laughter erupted from the audience. Upon hearing the interpreter’s words, President Xi said, “Please check if there is a backdoor, backdoor.”
A backdoor is a hacking tool that allows access to information by bypassing security systems. When President Lee joked about worrying over “information security” regarding the smartphone gift from China, President Xi retorted, “Check it.” Laughter erupted again at President Xi’s words, and President Lee smiled while clapping.
In addition to the Xiaomi smartphones, China gifted a set of stationery items including an inkstone and brush made of jade, and a Chinese tea cup set prepared by First Lady Peng Liyuan for First Lady Kim Hye-kyung. President Lee said, “Thank you for the precious gift. Xiexie,” and also remarked, “It’s very pretty,” regarding the tea cup set.
South Korea gifted President Xi, who enjoys the game of Go, a Go board made from Torreya nucifera, a premium material, and a mother-of-pearl lacquer round tray.★
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