South Korea’s President Lee Begins China State Visit

Reuters

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his wife Kim Hye-kyung arrive at Seoul Air base as they leave for Beijing, in Seongnam, South Korea, 4 January 2026.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung began a state visit to China on Sunday, aiming to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula just hours after North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles.

The four-day visit, Lee’s first to China since taking office in June, comes amid heightened global tensions following Pyongyang’s latest show of force and shortly after a United States attack on Venezuela.

President Lee is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during the trip, marking their second meeting in just two months—an unusually short interval that analysts say reflects Beijing’s strong interest in strengthening economic cooperation and tourism ties with Seoul. This comes as China’s relations with neighbouring Japan have deteriorated to their lowest level in years.

Tensions between Beijing and Tokyo escalated in November when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Japan could take military action if China were to attack Taiwan. China, which claims the self-governed island as its own, reacted angrily to the remarks, a claim firmly rejected by Taiwan’s government.

Analysts say North Korea’s missile launches may have been timed to send a signal to Beijing. “The launches represent a message to China to deter closer ties with South Korea and to counter China’s stance on denuclearisation,” said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul.

According to China’s state broadcaster CCTV, Lee arrived in Beijing accompanied by a delegation of more than 200 South Korean business leaders, highlighting the economic focus of the visit.

The delegation includes senior figures such as Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, Yonhap News Agency reported.

During the visit, China and South Korea are expected to hold discussions on supply chain investment, the digital economy and cultural exchanges, CCTV said.

Source: Reuters



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