South Korea's President Lee to visit China from January 4 to 7 as Seoul seeks to restore ties

By Joyce Lee and Ethan Wang

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will make a state visit to China from January 4 to 7 and meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the Blue House said on Tuesday, aiming to keep up momentum to restore ties.

Making his first visit to China since he took office in June, Lee will also discuss plans with Xi to reach concrete outcomes in areas such as supply chains and geopolitical issues in the region, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told a briefing. China's Foreign Ministry also confirmed the trip on Tuesday.

At a summit of the leaders when Xi visited South Korea recently on his first trip in 11 years, Lee sought his help in efforts to resume talks with North Korea which has rebuffed any calls for dialogue with Seoul, Lee's office has said. China is North Korea's major ally and economic lifeline.

China is South Korea's largest trading partner, and Seoul regards Beijing as a key force for stabilising supply chains, Lee has previously said.

But South Korea has been concerned about China's controls on rare earths, which are crucial to major Korean industries from electric vehicles to petrochemical products.

LEE BALANCING SEOUL'S TIES WITH BOTH US AND CHINA

Lee will also visit the Chinese commercial hub of Shanghai and join events to build cooperation on start-ups, Kang added.

"China and South Korea are important neighbours and partners. We look forward to this visit playing a positive role in advancing the China-South Korea strategic partnership under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state," China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular briefing.

The United States is South Korea's military ally but Seoul relies on trade with China, which accounts for about 20% of South Korea's overall trade, said Cheong Seong-chang, vice president of the Sejong Institute, a Seoul-based think-tank.

"The Lee Jae Myung administration is trying to find a new balancing point between maintaining the U.S. alliance and developing ties with China," Cheong said.

"He can't overlook economic relations with China. I expect there could be some kind of cooperation deal on technology like AI," he said.

Among the issues at stake between the two countries is Beijing's effective ban on K-pop content after the 2017 deployment of a U.S.-led missile defence system in South Korea.

During the previous Lee-Xi meeting, the two sides had agreed to keep communicating on the matter at the working level as they shared the need for cultural exchanges, a top South Korean security adviser said earlier.