Lee Jae-myung, Xi Jinping visit China

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping to reset the deteriorating relationship with South Korea’s largest trading partner.

Regional security and China’s unofficial ban on Korean pop culture are also on the agenda for Monday’s meeting, the second summit since President Xi Jinping visited South Korea.

Experts say the president is looking for assurances that he will not weaponize ties with China in the face of political tensions in the region, given how important an economic partner China is.

For weeks, China and Japan have been embroiled in a diplomatic spat over China’s claim to Taiwan’s autonomy, putting Seoul, a key regional power, in an awkward position.

China intensified its investigation against Japan after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in parliament that Japan could respond by deploying its self-defense forces if China attacks Taiwan.

So visiting Beijing this time is a meaningful step for Mr. Lee. Like Japan, South Korea is an ally of the United States that supports Taiwan and supplies weapons for Taiwan’s defense.

President Lee, who arrived in Beijing on Sunday, is scheduled to attend a dinner hosted by President Xi on Monday. Afterwards, he plans to go to Shanghai to meet Chinese Premier Li Chang and National Assembly Speaker Zhao Leji.

Prime Minister Lee said in front of Korean residents in Beijing, “This visit will be a new starting point in filling the gap in Korea-China relations, normalizing them, and elevating them to a new level.”

This is the first visit by a South Korean leader since 2019. Relations deteriorated after former President Lee impeached former President Yoon Seok-yeol, who was highly critical of China.

On the other hand, Xi Jinping’s eagerness to meet him signals the pressure he faces in seeking regional allies, Park Seung-chan, a professor of Chinese studies at Yongin University, told the BBC.

“China may win preemptively, but China’s demands are clear: side with China and condemn Japan.”

President Park said China has been leveraging the two countries’ shared history of fighting Japan in the 20th century. Lee plans to hold a memorial service in Shanghai to honor independence activists who fought for independence from Japan.

Park added that South Korea “still shows full respect for China” but wanted to “strengthen relations with Japan and China.”

South Korea has long walked a diplomatic tightrope between China and Japan. It is reported that Lee plans to visit Japan at the end of this month and meet Takaichi. And on Friday, South Korea’s National Security Office Director Wi Wi-Rak told reporters that South Korea respects the “one China policy.” This is diplomatic recognition that China is the only Chinese government.

Security issues on the Korean Peninsula will also be part of discussions with China, Prime Minister Wi told reporters.

Lee has sought diplomatic relations with North Korea, but so far there has been little progress. China’s cooperation is needed to pressure North Korea’s Kim Jong-un to give up his nuclear weapons. Aside from Russia, China is the dictator’s biggest supporter economically and diplomatically.

At a meeting with Korean residents in Beijing, Prime Minister Lee said, “China is a very important cooperative partner in moving toward peace and unification of the Korean Peninsula.”

On Sunday, South Korea’s military said North Korea had launched a ballistic missile off the East Sea. And on Monday, North Korea’s KCNA news agency said North Korea had test-fired a hypersonic missile to assess its war deterrence capabilities in the face of geopolitical developments.

North Korea condemned the U.S. arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as a “serious violation of its sovereignty.”

It is unclear how much pressure China can exert on North Korea. In September, President Xi pledged to strengthen the “traditional friendship” between North Korea and China.

And South Korea and China are not natural allies.

The U.S. military has stationed troops in South Korea for decades to prepare for attacks by North Korea, and last year the two countries agreed to cooperate in building nuclear submarines. The announcement prompted warnings from China.

There are also some painful aspects, such as China’s unofficial regulation of Korean music and dramas that has been in place for 10 years. K-pop and K-dramas are unavailable or difficult to access on Chinese media platforms.

China has never acknowledged the ban on South Korean artists, but it is believed to be a protest against South Korea’s decision to deploy US missile defense systems in 2016, which China sees as a threat to its military operations in the region.

Persuading China to lift these restrictions is said to be a key agenda item. China is a huge market for Korean entertainment and it is already enjoying great success globally.

President Lee will also seek to stop China from building offshore structures in waters between the two countries. Beijing said the structures were fish farming equipment, but it sparked security concerns in Seoul.