Overview
- Seoul and Beijing confirmed a four-day state visit for Jan. 4–7 that includes a Beijing summit and state dinner with Xi Jinping, plus a Jan. 6 stop in Shanghai to honor Korean independence fighters tied to the Kim Koo anniversary.
- Foreign ministers Cho Hyun and Wang Yi held phone talks and agreed to prepare concrete, substantive outcomes and maintain close communication, also exchanging views on regional stability.
- Several MOUs are expected during the trip covering cooperation in supply chains, investment, the digital economy, environmental action and responses to transnational crime, with specifics to be announced.
- The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry is assembling a delegation of more than 200 executives, with the leaders of Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor and LG expected to join business forums, signings and matchmaking sessions.
- China’s foreign ministry welcomed the visit as a boost to the strategic cooperative partnership, while Korean entertainment stocks climbed on optimism for a gradual cultural thaw, which remains unconfirmed.