'Symbolic restart': Xi’s South Korea visit signals cautious reset of ties amid shifting geopolitics
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, is expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, and hold bilateral talks with President Lee Jae Myung. Yonhap
By Alyssa Chen
Lee-Xi summit agenda likely to include supply chain stability, Hanwha Ocean, FTA upgrade, peninsula security
For the first time in more than a decade, Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Korea, traveling to the historic city of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, to hold bilateral talks with President Lee Jae Myung and attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting.
While the trip carries limited expectations for immediate breakthroughs, experts see it as a carefully calibrated step toward resetting strained Korea-China ties.
His last visit in 2014, at the height of Seoul-Beijing relations, culminated in the South Korea-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which took effect in 2015.
At the time, then-President Park Geun-hye sought Chinese support for her vision for Korean unification, focusing on trust-building, humanitarian aid and reconciliation. Despite North Korea’s criticism of the initiative, Beijing referred to it in a joint statement during their Seoul summit in July that year.
Fast-forward to September 2025, when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited China as it put on a massive military parade commemorating 80 years since Japan’s formal surrender in World War II. Kim and Xi also sat down for a talk during Kim’s first visit to China in over six years.
In a subtle yet significant shift, Beijing notably omitted any reference to “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” in the readout of the Xi-Kim meeting, sparking doubts about the prospects for denuclearization.
Diplomatic experts interviewed by The Korea Times noted that while the upcoming APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is unlikely to yield meaningful outcomes, it represents an effort by Beijing and Seoul to lay the groundwork for normalizing bilateral ties and fostering future cooperation.
However, they cautioned that the U.S. and North Korea are deeply embedded factors in South Korea-China relations, making a breakthrough or significant progress unlikely this time.
Zhan Debin, director of the Centre for Korean Peninsula Studies at Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, noted that Seoul and Beijing both face pressing domestic and international priorities, making Xi’s visit largely “a symbolic restart” of bilateral relations.
“Given the challenges in ties over the past few years, this visit signals a moment to reset and reinvigorate bilateral ties, which will enter into the phase of ‘managing differences while pursuing practical cooperation,'" he added.
People walk next to banners for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Sept. 25. Yonhap
Niu Xiaoping, an expert on the Korean Peninsula at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, expects the leaders’ summit will touch on supply chain stability amid the ongoing China-U.S. trade war, cooperation in the digital and green economies and discussions on upgrading the bilateral FTA.
She also noted that Beijing’s recent sanctions on five U.S. affiliates of Hanwha Ocean, a major South Korean shipbuilder and key player in revitalizing America’s shipbuilding industry, could be raised by the Korean side during the meeting.
Since Lee's inauguration in June, Beijing and Seoul have been cautiously seeking to reset ties after the former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, shifted South Korea’s diplomacy closer to Washington and Tokyo, straining ties with Beijing.
Lee’s pragmatic diplomacy highlighted the need to rebuild ties with China and seek measured engagement with North Korea.
In an interview with Time magazine last month, Lee said that the country cannot go back to the traditional equation of relying on the U.S. for security and on China for economic growth, but it can position itself as a potential “bridge.”
“Our values of democracy and market economy are based on our U.S.-South Korea alliance,” Lee said.
“We cannot completely sever our relationship with China. So, we need to manage our relationship at an adequate level, and I believe that the Western world has to be understanding in this regard,” he added.
“Beijing and Seoul will exchange views on the Korean Peninsula,” Niu said, adding that progress depends on mutual trust between Pyongyang and Washington, with a need for phased compromises rather than unilateral concessions.
She also noted China’s growing role as a facilitator of dialogue, amid a growing willingness among parties to engage in talks.
North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday morning in its first launches in months. South Korea’s military said the missiles flew approximately 350 kilometers and appeared to have fallen inland.
Kang Jun-young, a professor of Chinese studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, noted that Beijing plays “an indispensable role in stabilizing” the situation and North Korea’s actions.
In addition to Kim Jong-un’s visit to Beijing for the military parade, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui traveled to China late last month. According to Pyongyang’s state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the two sides reached a “complete consensus” on international and regional issues during the visit.
High-level exchanges between Seoul and Beijing also took place in recent months, with Lee sending a special delegation and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun to Beijing.
Beijing has showcased its influence over North Korea, signaling to South Korea the importance of prioritizing ties with Beijing if Seoul aims to advance inter-Korean relations, according to Lee Dong-gyu, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
“As it seeks to lay the groundwork for improved inter-Korean relations, the Lee administration will also likely manage its relationship and try to build friendly ties with China,” he said.
From left in the front row, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are seen in Beijing ahead of a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over imperial Japan and the end of World War II, Sept. 3. TASS-Yonhap
“Given the unstable international situation, it will be difficult for the two countries to quickly build consensus on various diplomatic and security issues and restore bilateral relations,” Lee added.
South Korea-China ties could hit a snag if the Trump administration prioritizes containing China and demands an expanded role from Seoul in this regard, according to experts.
“South Korea’s top priority is to first manage its relationship with the U.S. by resolving key issues such as tariff negotiations and modernization of the Korea-U.S. alliance,” Zhan said.
“Until these challenges are addressed, South Korea is likely to refrain from signaling a strong desire to strengthen ties with China, out of concern for potential dissatisfaction from the U.S.”
“I am concerned about how long China will be accommodating and continue seeking to restore bilateral relations with South Korea, if South Korea fails to meet China’s expectations for balanced diplomacy,” Lee said.
Meanwhile, Niu highlighted non-sensitive areas like combating online scams and maritime rescue operations as promising opportunities for China-South Korea cooperation.
In recent years, Chinese citizens have fallen victim to online scams in Southeast Asia, prompting authorities to collaborate with Myanmar to crack down on telecom fraud and other criminal activities. This effort has led to the arrest of over 57,000 Chinese nationals and the dismantling of several criminal gangs.
Similar scams have alarmed Koreans recently, as a surge in cases involving the kidnapping and torture of Koreans in Cambodia has sparked a national reckoning.
“These areas not only steer clear of political sensitivities but also can produce tangible results, making them ideal for future China-South Korea cooperation,” Niu said.
Alyssa Chen is a reporter with the South China Morning Post. She is currently based in Seoul, writing for both The Korea Times and the South China Morning Post under an exchange program.