Overview
- President Lee landed in Beijing on January 4 for a January 4–7 trip, the first visit to China by a South Korean president since 2019.
- Lee is set to meet Xi Jinping on January 5 for talks expected to cover economic cooperation and North Korea’s advancing weapons programs, with possible discussion of Chinese limits on Korean cultural content.
- Roughly 200 Korean business leaders, including chaebol chairmen, will join a China–South Korea business forum on January 5.
- Lee plans talks with Premier Li Qiang on January 6 before traveling to Shanghai for venture-related events and a visit to the former Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea site.
- South Korean officials frame the trip as a step toward restoring a strategic partnership with China while maintaining ties with the United States and Japan, and Japanese commentary suggests Beijing’s warm reception may aim to pressure Seoul–Tokyo alignment.