Chinese President Xi Jinping calls for strategic cooperation with South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung, as both leaders agree on resuming dialogue with North Korea.
BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping called on visiting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to join Beijing in making the “right strategic choices” in a complex world.
Xi made the remarks during a summit in the Chinese capital, Lee’s first visit by a South Korean leader in six years.
The meeting followed North Korea’s launch of two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan a day earlier.
President Lee and President Xi agreed on the importance of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
The two leaders also underscored the need to resume dialogue with North Korea, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
Xi stated the world is undergoing accelerated changes and the international situation is becoming more complex and turbulent.
He said Beijing and Seoul bear important responsibilities in upholding regional peace and have broad common interests.
“They should firmly stand on the right side of history and make the right strategic choices,” Xi was quoted as saying by state news agency Xinhua.
Lee expressed his wish to open a new phase in relations based on trust with Xi.
He vowed to seek feasible alternatives together for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
The leaders witnessed the signing of 15 cooperation documents spanning technology, environment, transport and trade.
Lee is accompanied by a delegation of business and tech leaders seeking to expand economic cooperation with China.
He has called for more horizontal and mutually beneficial trade between the two nations.
Lee also met with top executives from South Korean and Chinese firms at Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.
Chinese firms represented included CATL, ZTE and Tencent, while Samsung and Hyundai leaders attended from South Korea.
The South Korean president will meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday before travelling to Shanghai.
Lee hopes his visit can harness China’s influence over North Korea to improve ties with Pyongyang.
Hours before the summit, North Korea declared it had launched two hypersonic missiles and its nuclear forces were ready for war.
South Korea’s National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac said the two leaders reaffirmed that peace on the peninsula serves both countries’ interests.
Xi and Lee last met in November on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Gyeongju, South Korea.
Seoul treads a fine line between its top trading partner, China, and its chief defence guarantor, the United States.
Lee’s trip follows recent massive Chinese military drills around Taiwan, which drew international condemnation Seoul declined to join.
The South Korean leader also stayed on the sidelines of a recent spat between Beijing and Tokyo over Taiwan.
