Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
Lee meets with Chinese premier to shore up critical trade ties
President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Tuesday. Yonhap
By Anna J. Park
President urges China’s legislature to take more active role in strengthening bilateral ties
BEIJING — President Lee Jae Myung moved to shore up Korea’s most critical economic relationship on Tuesday, holding a third round of high-level talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang aimed at insulating bilateral trade from broader geopolitical volatility.
By engaging Li, who manages the day-to-day machinery of the Chinese economy, the Korean leader, who is on a state visit to China, signaled a preference for functional cooperation over the ideological friction that has often defined regional diplomacy.
During the session, Lee characterized the “strategic cooperative partnership” as an essential stabilizer for regional peace, explicitly linking diplomatic harmony to the domestic livelihoods of both nations. He underscored Li’s pivotal role as the architect of China’s economic policy and its primary envoy to the trilateral forum with Japan, framing the premier as a necessary partner in maintaining a predictable environment for Northeast Asian commerce.
“Based on people’s livelihoods and peace, I expect the prime minister to continue playing a major role in advancing Korea-China relations,” Lee said. He added that he hopes the two countries will expand “horizontal and mutually beneficial cooperation” in line with changing times, while working together to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the broader region through a pragmatic approach.
The Chinese prime minister, welcoming the visit, said China remained committed to deepening “political mutual trust” and expanding the reach of bilateral ties. He framed the relationship as a priority for Beijing, calling for broader cooperation to secure economic benefits for both nations.
According to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, Li concurred on the "importance of peace" on the Korean Peninsula, pledging to intensify communication to preserve regional stability.
President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Tuesday. Yonhap
Earlier on Tuesday, Lee urged China’s legislature to take a more active role in strengthening ties between Seoul and Beijing, as he met with Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee.
Speaking at the meeting held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Lee emphasized the legislature’s importance in deepening bilateral ties.
“I shared an understanding with President Xi Jinping that Korea and China should work together to mature the strategic cooperative partnership between our two countries, grounded in political trust between governments and friendly trust between our peoples,” he said.
“As an institution that represents public opinion, the National People’s Congress can play a vital role in enhancing mutual understanding and expanding shared consensus by reflecting diverse voices across society,” Lee added.
Zhao has previously played a notable role in deepening bilateral economic cooperation. In 2012, while serving as the Communist Party secretary of Shaanxi province, he helped draw major investments from Samsung Electronics, moves that were seen as strengthening economic ties between the two countries.
During the meeting, Zhao said that “friendship and cooperation have always been the defining foundation” of relations between the two countries, adding that a healthy and steadily deepening partnership served the interests of both peoples and helped promote peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and beyond.
President Lee Jae Myung shakes hands with Zhao Leji, elected chairman of the 14th National People's Congress Standing Committee, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Tuesday. Yonhap
He added that he would work jointly to strengthen communication and coordination between the two countries and deepen cooperation across a range of fields, with the aim of ensuring the long-term, stable development of the China-Korea strategic cooperative partnership.
In the afternoon, Lee departed Beijing for Shanghai, where he is staying overnight and will attend a Korea-China venture startup summit as well as a beauty industry event.
Through a series of meetings with China’s top officials, Lee plans to press for concrete steps to further advance bilateral ties, focusing on shared priorities that include political trust, people’s livelihoods and peace.