S. Korea’s Lee and China’s Xi meet to explore ‘viable’ peace plan
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung vowed Monday to collaborate with China on "viable" measures to foster peace on the Korean Peninsula during a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, Yonhap reported.
Lee underscored the importance of bilateral cooperation for peace at their meeting at the Great Hall of the People as North Korea ratcheted up tensions by launching ballistic missiles on Sunday morning, just hours before he arrived in the Chinese capital for a state visit.
"(I) will work together (with China to) explore viable alternatives for peace on the Korean Peninsula so that both countries can jointly contribute to peace, the basic foundation for prosperity and growth," Lee said in his opening remarks.
His visit came at a time when South Korea is seeking to stably manage relations with China, a key partner in trade, tourism, and peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula, while also maintaining a strong alliance with the United States under his "pragmatic" diplomatic approach.
Noting the millennia of shared history between the two neighboring countries, Lee made an apparent reference to the early 20th-century struggle for independence against colonial expansion.
He also said his administration will continue to expand cooperation on an "equal footing" in areas that directly affect the daily lives of people in both countries and strengthen collaboration on livelihood issues.
"I will invariably make efforts to develop our strategic cooperative partnership into an irreversible trend of the times," he said, expressing his wish to work together with Xi to open a "new phase" for the development of bilateral relations.
When Lee arrived at the summit venue, a 21-gun salute was fired at Tiananmen Square to mark his state visit, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
During a Korea-China business forum earlier in the day, Lee called for expanding cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence, beauty, and cultural products between the two nations to further boost bilateral trade.
As previously reported, it is the leaders' second meeting since their first summit talks on Nov. 1 on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea.
