Amid chilly China-Japan relations, President Lee holds warm successive talks

President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hold a brief meeting at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, on November 23 (local time). / Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung met successively with Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and Chinese Premier Li Qiang during his attendance at the G20 Summit held in South Africa. Amid ongoing tensions between China and Japan, President Lee made the case for the stable management of Korea-Japan relations in his meeting with Takaichi and stressed the importance of communication with Li.

According to the presidential office, President Lee held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Takaichi and Premier Li, respectively, on November 23 (local time) at the G20 venue.

During their meeting, the Korean and Japanese leaders reaffirmed the importance of bilateral relations under the current grave international situation and reiterated the need for future-oriented cooperation. President Lee said, “It is the responsibility of political leaders to manage the relationship between our two countries in a stable manner,” adding, “I hope we can focus on areas where cooperation is possible and further advance bilateral ties.” The presidential office noted that the two leaders agreed to continue shuttle diplomacy and maintain close communication on various issues, including economic and security matters.

In his subsequent meeting with Premier Li, President Lee evaluated the Korea–China summit held during the APEC meeting in Gyeongju as having fully restored bilateral relations, and expressed his desire to pursue cooperative outcomes that can directly benefit people in both countries. Li said President Xi Jinping’s recent state visit to Korea was a success, adding that he hopes Korea and China will continue to develop their relationship in the long term through mutually beneficial cooperation on various issues.

When President Lee underscored the importance of communication to build political trust between Korea and China, Premier Li expressed agreement and said the two sides should continue close dialogue. He also praised President Lee’s remarks at the G20 Summit and proposed cooperation between the two countries on the issues raised.

President Lee conveyed his warm regards to President Xi and said he hopes to meet him in Beijing in the near future. Premier Li replied that he would relay the message and conveyed President Xi’s greetings in return. The presidential office said, “This meeting between President Lee and Premier Li is significant in that it continues the momentum of the full restoration of Korea–China relations achieved through President Xi’s state visit, and maintains a positive flow of high-level exchanges between the two countries.”

※This article was translated by an AI tool and edited by a professional translator.