North Korea: the elephant in the room when Xi met Lee in Beijing

The leaders of South Korea and China wrapped up a summit this week with both underlining support for one of Beijing’s diplomatic priorities but making no tangible progress on North Korea, Seoul’s main concern.

During the trip, Lee declared 2026 as the year for the “full restoration of South Korea-China relations” and Xi vowed to facilitate “more frequent exchanges and closer communication”.

The two countries also finalised more than 10 cooperation agreements spanning areas such as industrial exchanges, digital technology, intellectual property and environmental collaboration.

According to Beijing, South Korea said it respected China’s core interests and major concerns and remained committed to the one-China policy, with Lee referring directly to the 1992 joint communique that formalised diplomatic ties between the two nations.

The communique states that Seoul respects Beijing’s position that there is only one China, with Taiwan as a part of it.

South China Morning Post