South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Monday (January 5, 2026) in Beijing, with closer economic ties as well as the recalcitrant North on the agenda.
Mr. Lee is the first South Korean leader to visit Beijing in six years and his meeting with Mr. Xi comes a day after the nuclear-armed North fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan.
Mr. Xi held a welcome ceremony for Mr. Lee and the two began talks, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said.
The signing of an agreement and a state banquet will follow, Seoul has said.
The South Korean leader, accompanied by a delegation of business and tech leaders, hopes to secure pledges to expand economic cooperation with his country's largest trading partner.
