After Summit with Xi Jinping, President Lee Moves from Beijing to Shanghai... Dinner with City Party Secretary

Visit to the Provisional Government Building
Expected Discussions on Local Government Exchanges and Preservation of Independence Movement Historic Sites

President Lee Jaemyung, who is on a state visit to China, completed his summit schedule in Beijing on the 6th (local time) and traveled to Shanghai.

Yonhap News Agency

President Lee plans to stay in Shanghai until the 7th, beginning with a dinner with Chen Jining, the Shanghai Party Secretary, and attending events such as the Korea-China Venture & Startup Summit. During the dinner with Party Secretary Chen Jining, topics such as local government exchanges, people-to-people exchanges, and the preservation and management of historic sites related to the independence movement are expected to be discussed.

Subsequently, as his final official engagement in China, President Lee will visit the former Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea building before returning home. With the 80th anniversary of Liberation in 2025, the 150th anniversary of Kim Gu's birth in 2026, and the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Provisional Government in Shanghai approaching, the plan is to honor the sacrifices and dedication of Korean independence activists and commemorate the shared historical experience of Korea and China working together to restore national sovereignty.

President Lee arrived in China on the 4th and began his itinerary in Beijing with a meeting with Korean residents in China. On the following day, the 5th, he attended the Korea-China Business Forum, repeatedly emphasizing the need to expand economic cooperation between the two countries.

After attending the Korea-China Business Forum, he held a summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time in over two months. During the summit, the leaders of both countries agreed to elevate bilateral cooperation to a new level. At the meeting, President Lee stated, "2026 will serve as a crucial turning point for a comprehensive restoration of Korea-China relations," and added, "I hope to open a new chapter in the development of Korea-China relations together with President Xi, in line with the trends and changes of our era." In response, President Xi said, "China must firmly uphold the direction of friendly cooperation with Korea," and "We must ensure that our cooperative partnership develops along a healthy trajectory."

In addition to expanding economic cooperation, the two leaders confirmed a consensus on the need to resume dialogue with North Korea. Regarding the sensitive issue of structures in the West Sea, they agreed to initiate vice-ministerial talks to establish maritime boundaries.

On the last day of his Beijing schedule, President Lee concluded his visit by meeting consecutively with Zhao Leji, Chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee (the equivalent of China's parliamentary speaker), and Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council, who is ranked second in China's power structure and serves as the country's "economic commander." Meeting with Premier Li Qiang at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, President Lee said, "I hope our two countries can expand horizontal and mutually beneficial cooperation and move forward together on a path of pragmatism and shared prosperity."