Chinese State Media: "President Lee's Visit to China Is His First Overseas Trip This Year, Reflects High Importance"

On the afternoon of January 4 (local time), President Lee Jae-myung began his four-day state visit to Beijing, China. Chinese state media have assessed that this visit reflects the high level of importance attached to bilateral relations between the two countries.

On January 4, Chinese state-run Yangguangwang quoted Wang Junsheng, a researcher at the Institute of Asia-Pacific and Global Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, as saying, "This visit to China marks President Lee's first overseas trip this year, and he is the first foreign leader to be received by China in 2026." The report added, "Such 'firsts' reflect the high importance of the relationship between the two countries."

President Lee Jae-myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping are moving to the special exhibition hall for a summit meeting after the official welcoming ceremony held on November 1 last year at the Millennium Smile Hall of the Gyeongbuk National Gyeongju Museum. Photo by Yonhap News

Researcher Wang stated, "After the Korea-China summit held in Gyeongju, Korea, in November last year, the Korean president's visit to China for a summit in Beijing demonstrates that both countries place great importance on their diplomatic ties and are approaching the development of their relationship from a strategic perspective." He emphasized, "As neighboring countries, cooperation based on mutual respect is reaffirmed as the right path for coexistence."

He also pointed out that the two countries share a common 'history of resistance against Japanese imperialism' and are working together to uphold multilateralism.

He explained, "Korea and China are geographically very close and share common interests in the economic and trade sectors. Both countries consider peace and stability in Northeast Asia as a shared interest, and they have a common history of supporting each other during the anti-fascist and anti-Japanese wars."

He further stressed, "Korea has an export-oriented economic system and is highly dependent on the international market, and has actively pursued multilateral cooperation. Korea and China have also engaged in substantial cooperation in jointly opposing unilateralism and protectionism."

He added, "Strengthening Korea-China cooperation is not only significant for bilateral relations, but also has positive implications for the Asia-Pacific regional economy and, furthermore, for the recovery of the global economy."

However, Chinese-language media outlets have noted that while President Lee's visit to China may help improve Korea-China relations, it is unlikely to bring about a breakthrough on security issues through the summit.